The influence of the type of ulcers in the degree of atrophic gastritis.

PURPOSE Chronic Gastritis is the most common manifestation of infection with Helicobacter pylori. Changes in the gastric mucosa have tendency to progress towards mucosal atrophy, most likely in patients with gastric ulcer. We have explored the frequency of the presence of atrophic gastritis in patients with gastric and duodenal ulcers. MATERIAL AND METHOD We included 175 patients in a prospective study, 119 of whom were patients with duodenal ulcer and 56 suffered from gastric ulcer. The mean age of the patients with duodenal ulcer was 42.27 years, while patients with gastric ulcer had a mean age of 51.87 years. Biopsy was done on all patients with gastric and duodenal ulcer for histopathological examination, in order to confirm the presence of atrophic gastritis. All examined patients were positive for H. Pylori status. RESULTS The presence of gastritis by type of ulcer, duodenal or gastric, was as follows: type without atrophy 20% and 0%, mild atrophy 61% and 14% and severe atrophy 22% and 86%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS In patients with duodenal ulcers more often occurs mild atrophic gastritis (p < 0001). In the patients with gastric ulcers most often occur alterations with more pronounced gastric atrophy (p < 0.01).