title: Reflux gastritis in gastroesophageal reflux disease: A histopathological study.
abstract: Increased intragastric alkaline reflux has been documented in patients with reflux esophagitis; however, the effect on gastric histology has not been investigated in this population. We examined gastric biopsies from 72 non-acid-suppressed patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) for changes of reflux gastritis or other forms of gastritis. In the Helicobacter pylori-negative GERD patients (n = 52) using the Dixon scoring system for reflux gastritis with a threshold score of >/=11, reflux gastritis was found in 15% (three of 20) of GERD patients with erosions and in no GERD patients without erosions. When the reflux gastropathy threshold score was changed to more than 8, 90% (18 of 20) of GERD patients with erosions and 19% (six of 32) of GERD patients without erosions were classified as having reflux gastritis. Regardless of the reflux gastritis threshold used, only 14% (seven of 52) of the H pylori-negative GERD patients exhibited normal gastric histology. Inactive chronic gastritis or nonspecific reactive changes were histologic findings in those gastric biopsies not classified as reflux gastritis or normal. All H pylori-positive GERD patients (n = 20) had active chronic gastritis. We conclude that most GERD patients will exhibit some form of gastric pathology: either reflux gastritis, chronic gastritis, or nonspecific reactive changes, depending on what reflux threshold score is applied and the presence of H pylori. Studies to define the intragastric alkaline content in conjunction with gastric histopathology need to be performed to further define those reflux esophagitis patients with reflux gastritis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, MCP-Hahnemann School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102-1192, USA.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Haber
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lopez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001655:Bile Reflux / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005750:Gastric Juice / Q000378:metabolism; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D005756:Gastritis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005773:Gastroscopy; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013276:Stomach Ulcer / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology