Parietal cell density in gastric biopsies from patients with and without duodenal ulcer disease

During gastroscopy biopsy specimens were taken from 4 different areas of gastric corpus mucosa in 51 patients with duodenal ulcer disease (DU) and 26 patients without ulcer disease and the patients underwent an acid stimulation test by injection of 6 micrograms 5-gastrin/kg bodyweight. A parietal cell density study was carried out, using a direct counting of cell nuclei in a standardized lattice. The method was found fully acceptable when compared with stereological analysis of parietal cell density per unit volume (Nv) and was found having a low variation in and between observers. There was no significant variation of parietal cell density locally or regionally in the oxyntic mucosa. No correlation was found in DU group between Basic Acid Output (BAO), Peak Acid Output (PAO) and the parietal cell density, but in the non-DU group a rather poor, but significantly positive correlation was demonstrated. We conclude that the parietal cell mass is not exactly correlated to acid production and that the term "Parietal cell mass" have to include acidogenic area and the secretory ability of the parietal cells.