[Immunological aspects of lymphocytic gastritis]

Diffuse and corporeal varioliform gastritis represent the usual endoscopic expression of lymphocytic gastritis. Referring to the work of other authors on varioliform gastritis, immunocytochemical studies have been made on the plasma cells of the lamina propria in two comparative series of lymphocytic and chronic atrophic gastritis. We could not demonstrate any significant variation in the number of IgE plasma cells between the two types of gastritis. In another study, the lymphocytic populations of the lamina propria and of the epithelium were characterized by peroxidase immunocytochemical methods on frozen sections. In agreement with other authors we confirmed that, in lymphocytic gastritis, the intraepithelial lymphocytes belong to the T group with a predominance of the T8 subgroup. In the lamina propria, the lymphocytes were mostly T with a slight preponderance of the T4 subgroup. B lymphocytes were scarce. The distribution of B and T lymphocytes was the same as that observed in coeliac disease.