A CASE OF MULTIPLE CARCINOID TUMOR OF THE STOMACH IN WHICH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA DISAPPEARED AFTER A TOTAL GASTRECTOMY

A 62-year-old woman was found having type A gastritis and multiple carcinoids on the upper body of stomach on an endoscopic study. The patient was associated with bronchial asthma which initiated at the age 60. Urinary 5-HIAA and blood serotonin levels were normal. Each tumor was minite and it appeared possible to resect endoscopically. However, a total gastrectomy was counducted, because of her backgroung factors of type A gastritis and multiple occurrence, and a character of the disease that the tumor can invade the submucosal layer in an early phase. After the operation her asthma disappeared. A possibilty can be considered that the tumor in this patient might be positive for anti-histaminic antibody and bronchial asthma might arise from the tumor. And another possibility was thought that, since the tumor was minute, hypergastrinemia with gastritis type A might stimulate minute endocrine cell foci to provoke histamin production, inducing bronchial asthma. In a review of the Japanese literature as possible as we could, there have been no cases of gastric carcinoid in which associated bronchial asthma disappeared after the operation. This case which was thought valuable is presented here.