title: Carditis is associated with Helicobacter pylori-induced gastritis and not reflux esophagitis.
abstract: Pathogenesis of chronic inflammation at the gastric cardia is not yet clear. It is controversial whether cardiac-type mucosa is normal structure at the cardiac region. Therefore, we studied the existence of correlations between carditis, infection, and gastroesophageal reflux disease, and determined the prevalence of cardiac mucosa at the endoscopically defined cardiac region. Gastric biopsy specimens were analyzed from 27 patients with reflux esophagitis and 30 subjects without reflux esophagitis. Carditis was not associated with reflux esophagitis, but with infection. Moreover, the degree of gastritis and atrophy at the cardia were closely related to those of the antrum and body. Cardiac mucosa was not always present in the endoscopically defined cardiac region, and its prevalence was positively correlated with gastritis and atrophy grade of the cardia and age. In conclusion, -induced pangastritis may lead to the development of carditis, which is associated with occurrence of cardiac-type mucosa at the cardiac region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Dongguk University College of Medicine, 707 Sukjang-dong, Kynogju, Kyongbuk 780-714, Korea. taejung@mail.dongguk.ac.kr
authors.forename: Tae Jung
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Nam Il
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Chang Heon
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002299:Cardia / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D004942:Esophagitis, Peptic / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005756:Gastritis / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013272:Stomach Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology