[The clinical usefulness of focally enhanced gastritis in Korean patients with Crohn's disease].
OBJECTIVE
Focally enhanced gastritis (FEG) has been suggested as a specific diagnostic marker for patients with Crohn's disease (CD). However, the usefulness of FEG for distinguishing CD from ulcerative colitis (UC) is uncertain and the incidence or prevalence of FEG for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients in Korea has not been defined yet. In this study, we investigated the frequency of FEG and other gastric histological abnormalities in Korean patients with CD and UC.


METHODS
We evaluated 37 patients with known CD, 43 patients with UC and 41 non-IBD control group; all underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy followed by biopsy from the antrum and the body. The pathology of the gastric biopsy specimens and the presence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) were evaluated. FEG was characterized by a focal perifoveolar or periglandular inflammatory cell infiltrates.


RESULTS
H. pylori positive gastritis was found in 10 of 37 (27.0%) of CD patients, in 16 of 43 (37.2%) of UC patients, and in 22 of 41 (53.7%) of non-IBD control group (p=0.054). In H. pylori-negative patients, FEG was found in 8 of 27 patients (29.6%) of CD patients, 6 of 27 (22.2%) patients with UC, and 2 of 9 (10.5%) of non-IBD control group (p=0.324).


CONCLUSIONS
In H. pylori-negative patients, there was no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of FEG among CD, UC and control groups in Korea.
Hong
Cheul Ho
CH
Department of Internal Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Park
Dong Il
DI
Choi
Woo Hyuk
WH
Park
Jung Ho
JH
Kim
Hong Joo
HJ
Cho
Yong Kyun
YK
Sohn
Chong Il
CI
Jeon
Woo Kyu
WK
Kim
Byung Ik
BI
Kim
Dong Hoon
DH
Kim
Min Kyung
MK
Chae
Seung Wan
SW
Lee
Kyoung Bun
KB
Sohn
Jin Hee
JH
Oh
Suk Joong
SJ
D000328:Adult; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005756:Gastritis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005773:Gastroscopy; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D041742:Upper Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000473:pathology