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Geographic variations in the histological characteristics of the gastric mucosa
C A Rubio1, H Namiki, G Stemmermann
1Department of Pathology, Queen's Medical Center.
Insights
Ciliated gastric epithelial cells were found in 21.5% of Caucasian patients in Hawaii, particularly the elderly. This suggests environmental factors, not ethnicity, influence these histological changes in gastric mucosa.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Histology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Ciliated gastric epithelial cells are uncommon in many populations.
- Previous studies suggest environmental influences on gastric histology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of ciliated gastric epithelial cells in Caucasian patients in Hawaii.
- To compare findings with previous studies in different ethnic groups and locations.
Main Methods:
- Microscopic examination of 65 gastrectomy specimens from Caucasian patients in Hawaii.
- Analysis of non-diseased gastric mucosa for ciliated epithelial cells.
Main Results:
- Ciliated gastric epithelial cells were identified in 21.5% of specimens.
- Prevalence was higher in elderly patients.
- Findings were similar to those in Japanese populations in Hawaii and Japan.
Conclusions:
- Local environmental factors may induce histological changes in the gastric mucosa.
- These changes appear independent of patient ethnicity.
Abstract:
Sections from 65 gastrectomy specimens obtained from operations performed for peptic ulcer or adenocarcinoma in Caucasian patients living in Hawaii were retrieved from the files of the Queen's Medical Center (n = 45) and the Kuakini Medical Center (n = 20). The sections were examined under high-power light microscopy for the presence of ciliated gastric epithelial cells in nondiseased areas of the gastric mucosa. Ciliated cells were found in 14 of the 65 specimens (21.5%) and were seen more often in elderly patients. The percentage of specimens with ciliated cells at the Kuakini Hospital was 35, which was very similar to the percentage found in a previous survey (40.5) in Japanese patients at the same hospital or in Japanese living in Japan (35%). In previous studies we found that ciliated gastric cells are rarely present in indigenous populations in Scandinavia, the U.S. mainland, Mexico, and Spain. Thus, our results seem to be a further indication that local environmental factors may trigger histological changes in the gastric mucosa and that those changes may be unrelated to the ethnic origin of the patient.