IMMUNOCYTOCHEMICAL AND MORPHOMETRIC STUDIES OF GASTRIN-PRODUCING, SOMATOSTATIN-PRODUCING AND SEROTONIN-PRODUCING CELLS IN THE STOMACH AND DUODENUM OF PATIENTS WITH ACID PEPTIC DISORDERS

Gastric and duodenal biopsies from 90 patients with various acid pepti c disorders - reflux esophagitis (n=24), gastric ulcer (n=13), duodena l ulcer (n=47) and nonulcer dyspepsia (n=6) - were examined. Seven pat ients with minimal dyspeptic symptoms and an endoscopically and histol ogically normal stomach and duodenum served as controls. Immunoperoxid ase staining for gastrin-producing EC cells was carried out on fundic, antral and duodenal biopsies, and was quantified using a Zeiss MOP Vi deoplan using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique of Sternberger. In the gastric antrum a G:D:EC cell ratio of approximately 1.6:1:1 was observed. In the duodenum the corresponding ratio was 1:1:2.4. No sig nificant differences were observed within any of the major diagnostic categories. Patient age, sex, duration of symptoms, smoking habits, al cohol consumption and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use had no e ffect on endocrine cel densities Reduced G cell density in the descend ing duodenum was observed in the presence of mild duodenitis in four p atients. In four patients with evidence of antral intestinal metaplast ic changes, a significant increase in duodenal G cell densities was fo und. these results suggest that a change in the number of G, D or EC c ells does not play a primary role in the pathophysiology of acid pepti c disorders in the majority of patients.