title: Enterochromaffin-like cell populations in human fundic mucosa: quantitative studies of their variations with age, sex, and plasma gastrin levels.
abstract: The human gastric fundal mucosa contains a variety of endocrine cells, the most numerous of which are the so-called enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells. We have studied the variations with age and sex of the ECL cell populations, utilizing an assessment based on multiple endoscopic biopsies from four groups of subjects. Plasma gastrin levels were also determined in these subjects. In males, endocrine cell densities declined with age but the ECL cell numbers in females opposed this trend. ECL cell counts showed no appreciable differences between young and old females. In older females, there was a high rate of gastritis and increased levels of circulating gastrin. Concentrations in older females (29.6 +/- 8.7 pmol/l) were higher than in both younger (less than 45 years) males (5.3 +/- 1.1 pmol/l) and older (greater than 55 years) males (6.3 +/- 0.6 pmol/l) (P less than 0.05). The plasma gastrin level was also higher in older females than in young females (13.1 +/- 4.5 pmol/l), although this difference failed to reach statistical significance. In conclusion, clinically silent gastritis, raised gastrin levels, and maintenance or rise of ECL cells numbers, in opposition to a general decrease in endocrine cells with age, appear to be features of women of more than 55 years of age. The variations in ECL cell populations reported here should be taken into account when evaluating possible pathological alterations of the stomach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Leeds, U.K.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Bishop
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rindi
authors.forename: F I
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Daly
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Domin
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Bloom
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Polak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002452:Cell Count; D002838:Chromaffin System / Q000166:cytology*; D004759:Enterochromaffin Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D005748:Gastric Fundus / Q000166:cytology*; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000166:cytology; D005755:Gastrins / Q000097:blood*; D005756:Gastritis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D005755:Gastrins