A Modification of the Quininium Resin Test for Assessing Gastric Acidity

Background: Gastric acid is an important defence against enteric infection. Studies investigating the relationship between hypochlorhydria and enteric infections or gastric malignancy have been limited by difficulties in the non-invasive measurement of gastric acidity. AIM: To develop a blood test for hypochlorhydria based on the quininium resin test.

Methods: Quininium resin dissociates to liberate free quinine at pH

Results: After quininium resin ingestion, mean quinine levels were lower in the acid-suppressed than in the control condition at all times (P 0.001). Optimized cut-off values at 90 min post-ingestion yielded 95% accuracy rates in both serum and blood. Quininium resin was well tolerated.

Conclusions: Using blood or serum, the quininium resin test identifies hypochlorhydria accurately and non-invasively. This test may be useful in screening for gastric atrophy and in studies investigating hypochlorhydria.