POINT PREVALENCE OF PEPTIC-ULCER AND GASTRIC HISTOLOGY IN HEALTHY INDIANS WITH HELICOBACTER-PYLORI INFECTION

Objectives: To study the prevalence of peptic ulcer and the histologic al appearance of the gastric mucosa in healthy, asymptomatic Indians i nfected with Helicobacter pylori. Methods: Asymptomatic, healthy indiv iduals without any GI symptoms were invited to undergo endoscopy of th e upper GI tract, A careful search was made for any erosion or ulcer, Four biopsy specimens were obtained from the gastric corpus and antrum , Histological sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for hi stological details and with Loffler's methylene blue for the presence of H. pylori, Alcian blue periodic acid-Schiff stain (pH 2.5) was used to classify and grade areas of intestinal metaplasia, Results: Histol ogical examination showed chronic gastritis in 72 (80%) persons, Panga stritis was seen in 22% of subjects; pangastritis with antral predomin ance, in 28%; and antrum-only gastritis, in 50%. Activity was noted in biopsy specimens from only 33% of the subjects, H. pylori infection w as present in 70 (78%) subjects, All of these subjects had evidence of chronic gastritis, Endoscopic examination revealed a normal appearanc e in 88 individuals, In two individuals a duodenal ulcer was seen, Bot h subjects had severe H. pylori infection in the antral mucosa, Of the 70 persons having H. pylori infection, only two (2.8 %) had a duodena l ulcer, Conclusions: This study showed that despite a high prevalence of H. pylori infection in asymptomatic, healthy Indians, the point pr evalence of peptic ulcer is low, and chronic active gastritis is uncom mon.