[Gastric mucosa and anti-inflammatory agents. A comparative study by fibroscopy]

A comparison was made between the gastroduodenal lesions observed by fibroscopy in a group of 47 patients treated with anti-inflammatory drugs for rheumatic conditions and a group of 50 controls. All patients had clinical symptoms of the stomach or duodenum. A statistical study show that the two groups were similar as regards age, sex and clinical signs. Besides ulcers the gastroduodenal lesions were acute and/or chronic. Among acute gastritis forms distinction is made between superficial, muco-erosive and haemorrhagic gastritis. The study showed the very high frequency of lesions of acute gastritis in rheumatic patients, especially of the antral and muco-erosive types, whereas the incidence of gastroduodenal ulcers was no higher than in the controles. An important finding is that acute gastritis is not favoured by pre-existing chronic gastritis.