[Clinical-histological correlation and significance of duodenitis (author's transl)]

In 200 patients with upper abdominal complaints biopsy material was taken by fiberoptic endoscopy for histologic evaluation. Histology was normal in both the gastric fractions from fundus and antrum and from the duodenal mucosa in 53 cases. 36 Patients showed the histologic picture of duodenitis with leucocytic infiltrates of the villous stroma in the vicinity of erosions or ulcerations. In 28 cases duodenitis was found without such mucosal lesions, accompanying coexistent gastritis. This is, however, not a constant finding in patients with gastritis of either histologic type in either gastric region: 82 cases from all age groups had gastritis without accompanying duodenitis. In contrast to a good deal of the literature reports about duodenitis being a disease entity, we could not find but one case of isolated duodenitis without gastritis and/or duodenal mucosal lesions. Furthermore, there is no specific clinical symptomatology.