Histological characteristics of chronic gastritis reported in gastric biopsies from children aged 1 to 16 years at the Hospital Infantil de San José from september 2008 to september 2010

......................................... Received: 05-12-11 Accepted: 15-05-12 Abstract Gastritis is an inflammation of the lining of the gastric mucosa which occurs in response to an injury. It can be acute, chronic or mixed, and it can be associated with intestinal metaplasia and atrophy. There are multiple etiologic factors including irritation, chemical, immunological, genetic and infectious factors. Among the latter, Helicobacter pylori is the most common causative agent. Objective: The objective of this study was to characterize histologic findings of chronic gastritis in children aged 1-16 years at the Hospital Infantil de San José from September 2008 to September 2010. Materials and methods: This was an observational and descriptive cross sectional study. Information was obtained from gastric biopsy reports from children between 1 and 16 years of age who had been evaluated at the Hospital Infantil de San José from September 2008 to September 2010. Results: We reviewed 826 reports of gastric biopsies from children with chronic gastritis. 59.2% of the sample was female, and the mean age was 9 years. Helicobacter pylori was present in 58.96% of this population, gastric atrophy was present in 0.7% and intestinal metaplasia in 1%. It was found that the presence of Helicobacter pylori was related to the degree of chronic inflammation and polymorphonuclear neutrophil activity levels. Conclusions: Helicobacter pylori infection is common in chronic gastritis in children and its presence is related to the degree of chronic inflammation and polymorphonuclear neutrophil activity.