title: Comparison of prevalence of chronic atrophic gastritis in Japan, China, Tanzania, and the Dominican Republic.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the prevalence of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) in Japan, China, Tanzania, and the Dominican Republic and to assess the usefulness of Helicobacter pylori infection and serum gastrin level as markers of CAG.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were volunteers from local communities in Japan (n=859), China (n=1741), Tanzania (n=573), and the Dominican Republic (n=1215). Each individual underwent a health checkup and blood sampling for measurement of serum pepsinogen I and II, pepsinogen I /II ratio, serum gastrin, and H. pylori antibodies, and responded to a questionnaire on upper digestive tract diseases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalences of H. pylori infection (23.5-96.1%), CAG (5.6-60.4%), and serum gastrin (62.0-136.5 pg/ml) varied by age, sex, and country. Serum gastrin level for men differed in each country according to age. In Tanzanian men, the median gastrin level (101.0 pg/ml) was the highest in the 40 to 49 years age group (p < 0.01) while there was no significant difference among different age groups in Tanzanian women. Serum gastrin level in subjects > or = 70 years was higher than in other age groups in both sexes in the Dominican Republic (males, 92.5, females, 136.5 pg/ml). The prevalence of H. pylori infection increased (p < 0.01) with advancing age in Japan (only for women) and the Dominican Republic but was high in all age groups of both sexes in China and Tanzania. The prevalence of CAG increased (p < 0.01) with age in both sexes in Japan, China (women only), and the Dominican Republic, but not in Tanzania. The odds ratio of CAG in H. pylori infected subjects was 5.3 times that in H. pylori-negative subjects. The odds ratio of CAG increased by 0.6%/1 pg/ml increase in serum gastrin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicated that H. pylori infection, serum gastrin, and advancing age are good markers of CAG and that the prevalence of CAG is the highest in Japan.
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Human Environmental and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Hasama, Oita, Japan. aoki@med.oita-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Paul E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Kihaile
authors.forename: Zhao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wenyuan
authors.forename: Zhang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xianghang
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Mildre
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Disla
authors.forename: Thomas B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Nyambo
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Misumi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004293:Dominican Republic / Q000453:epidemiology; D005202:Asia, Eastern / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005755:Gastrins / Q000097:blood; D005757:Gastritis, Atrophic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D005755:Gastrins