title: Distribution of inflammation and atrophy in the stomach of Helicobacter pylori-positive and -negative patients with chronic gastritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the extent of inflammation and atrophy in the stomach of Helicobacter pylori-positive and -negative patients with chronic gastritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Endoscopy with biopsies from the lesser curvatures of the antrum, angulus, middle body, and the greater curvature of the middle body of the stomach was performed in 59 patients with histologically confirmed chronic gastritis. The extent of atrophic gastritis was assessed endoscopically as well histologically. H. pylori status was assessed by histology as well as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The histological severity of chronic and acute inflammation, glandular atrophy, and intestinal metaplasia was assessed according to the Sydney system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In H. pylori-positive patients, H. pylori was evenly distributed throughout the stomach when the extent of atrophic gastritis was limited to the antrum and the lesser curvature of the body, but disappeared from the antrum of patients with more extensive atrophic gastritis. The severity of acute and chronic inflammation at the greater curvature of the body increased with the extension of atrophic gastritis. In H. pylori-negative patients, the severity of chronic inflammation at the greater curvature of the body was significantly higher in patients with extensive atrophic gastritis than in those with a lesser extent of atrophic gastritis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At the greater curvature of the body, the development of atrophy is closely associated with the increase in the severity of inflammation, which is more marked in H. pylori-positive patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Jichi Medical School, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kihira
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takimoto
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawata
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saifuku
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ido
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takemoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ota
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tada
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karita
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sakaki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hoshihara
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005756:Gastritis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005757:Gastritis, Atrophic / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013270:Stomach / Q000473:pathology*