N/A
- Red or tiger top tube
- 5 mL of venous blood
Additional information
- Overnight fasting required
- Abstain from alcohol for at least 24 hrs before test
- Avoid caffeinated drinks for 12 hrs before test
- Do not chew gum or smoke cigarettes for 4 hours before the test
- Avoid drinking water for 1 hr before the test
- Send the sample to lab immediately
- This test measures the concentration of the hormone gastrin in the blood
- Gastrin is a polypeptide hormone synthesized and stored in the antral G cells in stomach and to lesser degree in the islets of Langerhans in the pancrease
- The function of gastrin includes:
- Facilitate food digestion by triggering gastric acid secretion from parietal cells in the stomach
- Stimulate release of
- Pancreatic enzymes from acinar cells
- Pepsinogen from chief cells
- Insulin from the pancreas
- Intrinsic factor secretion
- Increase gastric and intestinal motility
- Stimulate bile flow
- Induce gastric blood flow
- Promote gastric mucosal growth
- The clinical utility testing gastrin levels include:
- Aids in the diagnosis of gastrinoma, or gastrin-secreting tumors as in Zollinger-Ellison syndrome
- Aids in the differential diagnosis of gastric and duodenal ulcers
- Assists in the diagnosis of pernicious anemia and G cell hyperplasia
- Gastrin is the first-line test for determining whether a patient with active ulcer disease has a gastrinoma
- Gastrin is secreted in response to:
- Vagal stimulation
- Presence of food, alcohol, or calcium in the stomach
- Alkalinity of gastric secretions
- Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP)
- Gastrin is inhibited in response to (negative feedback)
- Presence of acid (pH <3) in the stomach
- Somatostatin from D cells of stomach
- Gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP)
- Secretin
- Glucagon
- Calcitonin
- Zollinger-Ellison syndrome occurs sporadically in 75% cases and 25% cases are associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia Type 1 (MEN 1)
- Hypergastrinemia may clinically manifest as:
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Gastroesophageal reflux symptoms
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
- Nausea &/or vomiting
- Weight loss
Additional information
- Recent radioactive scans or radiation within 1 week before the test may interfere with test results
- Gastrin levels fluctuate throughout the day but are lowest in the early morning and highest during the day
- Related laboratory tests include:
- Complete blood count
- Folate
- Gastric acid stimulation
- Glucose
- Helicobacter pylori antibody
- Vitamin B12
Consult your laboratory for their normal ranges as these may vary somewhat from the ones listed below.
| Conv. Units (pg/mL) | SI Units (ng/L) | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults | <100 | <100 |
| Children | <125 | <125 |
| Definite abnormal | >200 | >200 |
Conditions associated with increased gastrin levels include:
- Antral G cell hyperplasia
- Atrophic gastritis
- Chronic renal failure
- End-stage renal disease
- Following a protein meal
- Gastric and duodenal ulcers
- Gastric carcinoma
- Hypercalcemia
- Hyperparathyroidism
- In presence of helicobacter pylori
- Pernicious anemia
- Post bowel resection
- Pyloric obstruction
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Sarcoidosis
- Ulcerative colitis
- Vagotomy without gastric resection
- Zollinger-Ellison syndrome
- Drugs and substances
- Alcohol (Ethanol use)
- beta-adrenergic agents
- Caffeine
- Calcium carbonate
- Calcium chloride
- Catecholamines
- Cholinergic agents
- Glycine (amino acid)
- Insulin
- Morphine
- Sufotidine
- Terbutaline
Factors causing false elevated levels of gastrin include:
- Non-fasting patients
- Elderly patients
- Diabetic patients taking insulin
- Postgastroscopy patients
Conditions associated with decreased gastrin levels include:
- Antrectomy with vagotomy
- Hypothyroidism
- Drugs and substances
- Atropine
- Enprostil
- Glucagon
- Histamine-2 receptor antagonists
- Cimetidine
- Famotidine
- Nizatidine
- Ranitidine
- Lithium
- Octreotide
- Proton pump inhibitors
- Omeprazole
- Lansoprazole
- Esomeprazole
- Pantoprazole
- Rabeprazole
- Secretin
- Streptozocin
- Tolbutamide
- Alvarez A et al. Gastrin induces leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions in vivo and contributes to the inflammation caused by Helicobacter pylori. FASEB J. 2006 Oct 2; [Epub ahead of print].
- ARUP Laboratories®. Gastrin. [Homepage on the internet]©2007. Last accessed on September 27, 2007. Available at URL: http://www.aruplab.com/guides/ug/tests/0070075.jsp
- eMedicine from WebMD®. Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome. [Homepage on the Internet] ©1996-2006. Last updated on July 5, 2006. Last accessed on September 27, 2007. Available at URL: http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic2437.htm
- Koh TJ et al. Glycine-extended gastrin promotes the growth of lung cancer. Cancer Res. 2004 Jan 1;64(1):196-201.
- Laboratory Corporation of America®. Gastrin, Serum. [Homepage on the internet]©2007. Last accessed on September 27, 2007. Available at URL: http://www.labcorp.com/datasets/labcorp/html/chapter/mono/sr002100.htm
- Lu MZ et al. [Expression of gastrin and gastrin releasing peptide in patient's with gastric cancer by using tissue chip technique] [Article in Chinese]. Zhonghua Wei Chang Wai Ke Za Zhi. 2005 Mar;8(2):159-61
- Richards ML et al. Regression of type II gastric carcinoids in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome after surgical excision of all gastrinomas. World J Surg. 2004 Jul;28(7):652-8. Epub 2004 Jun 16.
- Schubert ML. Gastric secretion. Curr Opin Gastroenterol. 2003 Nov;19(6):519-25.
- Tocchi A et al. Clinical significance of serum gastrin levels in patients with colorectal cancer. Int J Biol Markers. 2004 Jan-Mar;19(1):46-51.
- Wei JR et al. [Roles of bile and gastrin in the pathogenesis of childhood gastroesophageal reflux disease] [Article in Chinese]. Zhongguo Dang Dai Er Ke Za Zhi. 2006 Aug;8(4):287-90.