title: Gastric involvement in primary Sjögren's syndrome.
abstract: Gastric involvement was investigated in twenty Italian patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). Gastric complaints were present in 11 cases (55%) and endoscopic abnormalities in 10 (50%) including 2 cases with active duodenal ulcer. Only two patients (10%) showed moderate chronic atrophic gastritis (AG), while most (85%) had superficial gastritis (SG). No correlations were found among endoscopy, histology and gastric symptoms. Mean serum group I pepsinogen (PG I) levels were significantly higher (p < 0.01) and PG I concentrations in the fundus of the stomach were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in pSS patients than in a matched control group of dyspeptic subjects. Serum and antral gastrin levels were elevated in 3 cases with pSS (15%) including the two with AG, although the mean levels were not different from the controls. Antibodies to gastric parietal cells (PCA) were detected in two cases (10%) including 1 with AG. The present study contradicts previous reports claiming that AG with hypopepsinogenemia is a prominent feature in Sjögren's syndrome. We suggest that, at least in Italian patients, pSS is often associated with SG and high PG I levels.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, University of Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Ostuni
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Germana
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Mario
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rugge
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Plebani
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Zambiasi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Naccarato
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Gambari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004381:Duodenal Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D005755:Gastrins / Q000097:blood; D005757:Gastritis, Atrophic / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010435:Pepsinogens / Q000097:blood; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D013272:Stomach Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D005755:Gastrins; D010435:Pepsinogens