IMPROVEMENT OF GASTRIC INFLAMMATION AND RESOLUTION OF EPITHELIAL DAMAGE ONE-YEAR AFTER ERADICATION OF HELICOBACTER-PYLORI

Aims-To investigate the effect of eradication of Helicobacter pylori i nfection on gastric epithelial damage and gastritis, scored according to the Sydney system. Methods-Gastritis scores and epithelial damage w ere assessed in gastric biopsy specimens before, and five weeks and on e year after anti-H pylori therapy in 66 patients with H pylori relate d gastritis. Results-The mean initial levels of activity, inflammation , atrophy, intestinal metaplasia, and H pylori scores were higher in t he antrum than in the corpus or fundus. Eradication of H pylori result ed in an improvement in the mean inflammatory score in antral biopsy s pecimens from 2.23 before treatment to 1.32 and 1.06, respectively, fi ve weeks and one year after treatment. Corresponding values for fundic biopsy specimens were 1.30, 0.36 and 0.35. Activity scores improved f rom 1.41 before treatment to 0.13 and zero, respectively, five weeks a nd one year after treatment in antral biopsy specimens and from 0.60 b efore treatment to zero in fundic biopsy specimens. Before treatment, epithelial damage was present in 51% of biopsy specimens taken from th e antrum and 23% of those from the corpus. Five weeks after eradicatio n of H pylori none of the biopsy specimens revealed evidence of epithe lial damage. Conclusion-Eradication of H pylori is followed by a rapid , significant improvement in the gastritis score and resolution of epi thelial damage in antral and fundic mucosa.