title: Frequency of precancerous lesions in endoscopic gastric biopsies in chronic gastritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the frequency of precancerous lesions in endoscopic gastric biopsies of patients with chronic gastritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  Department of Histopathology, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, from July 2008 to January 2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over 6 months, 375 endoscopic gastric biopsies of patients with age group of 15-65 years having endoscopic chronic gastritis were included. From final biopsy report, basic information like patient demographics and presence of precancerous lesions i.e. activity (chronic active gastritis), atrophy (atrophic gastritis), intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia were recorded on proforma. Results were described as proportions and frequency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequency of precancerous lesions in endoscopic gastric biopsies of patients with chronic gastritis in Karachi was markedly high. Most common lesion was chronic active gastritis as depicted by activity (48.3%); dysplasia (1.3%) was the least common. Proportion of more aggressive precancerous lesions were markedly higher in older age group (> 40 years).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The precancerous lesions are frequent in endoscopic gastric biopsies of patients with chronic gastritis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histopathology, The Aga Khan Hospital, Karachi. saroonakm@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Saroona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haroon
authors.forename: Naveen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Faridi
authors.forename: Faisal Rashid
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Lodhi
authors.forename: Shafaq
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mujtaba
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D005756:Gastritis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005757:Gastritis, Atrophic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008679:Metaplasia / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult