STIMULATED GASTRINEMIA, PARIETAL-CELL MASS AND STIMULATED ACID-SECRETION IN AUTONOMOUS CHRONIC GASTRITIS - HELICOBACTER-PYLORI INFLUENCE

Background/Aims: In the present experience, an evaluation. has been ca rried out of stimulated gastrinemia, parietal cell mass, and acid secr etion in the course of a paradigmatic condition, such as autanomous ch ronic gastritis, in order to reveal possible changes induced by the pr esence of Helicobacter Pylori (HP). Materials and Methods: We evaluate d 153 patients with chronic gastritis of the antrum and/or body fundus , in different combinations not associated with peptic pathology. Resu lts: In the group of subjects with antral superficial chronic gastriti s associated with normal bodyfundic mucosa or with body-fundic superfi cial chronic gastritis, about 40% of the subjects in the HP positive g roup show gastrinemia values which are higher than the norm. The evalu ation of parietal cell and stimulated acid secretion. yielded no diffe rences between the HP positive and HP negative groups: it emerges that these parameters vary exclusively according to the histologic state o f the body-fundic mucosa. In the patients group with hypergastrinemia, the study has revealed no variations in parietal cell mass and acid s ecretion. Conclusion: Evidently the increase in gastrinemia in these s ubjects was not important enough to induce an. increase in parietal ce ll mass and acid secretion. It emerges how the presence of HP does not imply substantial changes on, the gastric cyto-functional parameters: these variations depend mainly on. the histologic state of the gastri c mucosa.