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Low Levels of Acid in the Stomach

Mar 16, 2011 | By Ruth Coleman

Hypochlorhydria is the medical term used to describe an abnormally low level of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. This condition can be the result of a variety of diseases. It can be caused by an autoimmune disease that attacks the stomach cells that secrete hydrochloric acid. It can also be caused by several different kinds of tumors.

Autoimmune Metaplastic Atrophic Gastritis

People with autoimmune metaplastic atrophic gastritis experience inflammation of the stomach, and an autoimmune disease in which their immune system attacks the body instead of foreign substances. In this hereditary disease, antibodies attack the parietal cells of the stomach. Since the parietal cells secrete hydrochloric acid, people with this disorder have an abnormally low level of acid in their stomach and an increased risk of developing stomach cancer, according to Merck Manuals Online Medical Library.

Somatostatinoma

Somatostatin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas and released from the hypothalamus of the brain. When it is secreted by the pancreas, it interferes with the secretion of the insulin and glucagon hormones. When the hypothalamus releases somatostatin, it interferes with the growth hormone. A somatostatinoma is a tumor that secretes somatostatin. It is very rare, and is usually found in the pancreas or first part of the small intestines, per the "MD Anderson Manual of Medical Oncology." Most people have a low level of stomach acid because the hormone can also interfere with the secretion of stomach acid.

Neurotensinoma

Neurotensin is a substance which the nerve cells use to send signals. A neurotensinoma is a tumor of the pancreas. As explained by Aaron Vinik, M.D., Ph.D. in "Endotext," neurotensin can cause the heart to beat faster, the blood pressure to drop, the glucose level in the bloodstream to increase and cause an abnormally low level of stomach acid because it interferes with the secretion of stomach acid. The symptoms of the tumor also include a low level of potassium in the bloodstream and diarrhea, making it very similar to another tumor called VIPoma.

VIPoma

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide is a substance which the nerves use to send signals. This substance is called VIP for short. A VIPoma is a tumor; approximately 80 to 90 percent of the adults who have a VIPoma have it in the pancreas, according to "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine." People usually have one tumor in the pancreas, but 37 to 68 percent also have tumors that have spread from the pancreas to the liver. They have diarrhea, a low level of potassium in their bloodstream and a low level of acid in the stomach because VIP inhibits the secretion of stomach acid.

References

Article reviewed by Libby Swope Wiersema Last updated on: Mar 16, 2011

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