THE CLASSIFICATION OF CHRONIC GASTRITIS - CURRENT STATUS

The importance of classifying chronic gastritis is the causal relation ship of some cases to pernicious anemia, peptic ulcer, and gastric ade nocarcinoma. The morphology and topographic distribution of chronic ga stritis form the basis for the current recognition of five subtypes. T hese are: Type A or diffuse atrophic corporal; Type B or diffuse antra l; Type AB or multifocal atrophic; and Type C chemical, reactive, and lymphocytic. The etiology includes autoimmunity, bacterial infection, bile reflux, the effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and diet. There are, however, discrepancies in the evidence that these sub types are entirely distinct. A multifactorial etiology for individual cases and groups of cases is argued as the cause of difficulty in assi gning cases to a specific type. The challenge still posed by chronic g astritis is stressed.