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The authors studied the efficacy of the treatment of 80 patients with primary chronic gastroduodenitis on an ambulatory basis. Use was made of spasmolytics, cholinolytics, antacids, sedative agents together with reflexotherapy, dietetic management and physiotherapy. As a result of the treatment, positive changes were recorded in the clinical, functional (intragastric pH-metry with the sodium carbonate test), endoscopic, histomorphologic, morphometric and immunologic characteristics. The changes in the characteristics indicated were examined both shortly after the treatment (1 to 1.5 month) and in the long-term period. Duodenal ulcer developed in 4 persons (5%) in the long-term period, which is 5 times more seldom as compared to the reported data.

A total of 65 patients with food allergy which manifested primarily by disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, bronchi and skin were placed under observation. The patients were administered sodium chromoglycate (nalcrom) per os in a dose of 200 mg 4 times a day for 2-3 weeks, in part of cases up to 3 months and even up to 1-1.5 year. The skin manifestations of allergy (pruritus, urticaria, Quincke's edema, and eczematous rash), abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, bronchospasm, rhinitis, and conjunctivitis disappeared. At the same time the majority of the patients demonstrated the reduction of the intensity of skin responses to the administration of different food antigens, the decrease of the antibody titer in blood serum in response to food antigens, and of the IgE content in blood. The side effects (nausea, heartburn, intensification of skin itch and abdominal pain) were noted in 4 cases.

The total level of IgE was determined in 84 patients with food allergy and in 19 healthy individuals. The level of IgE was significantly elevated in food allergy reflecting a degree of body sensitization. The absence of complete correlation between the clinical signs of disease and the blood level of IgE could depend upon the involvement of IgG-mediated allergic reactions in the pathogenesis of disease. Specific antibodies to ovalbumin of the IgG class were detected in 18 of 25 patients. Certain correlation between a therapeutic clinical effect and the time course of the serum level of IgE was observed.