[Peptic activity of gastric juice in chronic gastritis. Morpho-functional aspects]

The aim of this study has been to evaluate peptic activity in gastric juice and gastric peptic cell mass in chronic gastritis. As regard peptic activity, there is a close correlation between it and the peptic gastric cell mass considered globally and expressed as Peptic Gastric Index (PGI), resulting from the individual average between fundic peptic index (chief cells + fundic muco-peptic cells) and antral peptic index (antral muco-peptic cells), both obtained by multiplying the number of peptic cells per mm2 by the thickness of respectively fundic and antral gland layer). In particular fundic and antral superficiale gastritis does not involve changes in peptic activity in gastric juice. On the contrary, in case of fundic pre-atrophic or atrophic there is a significant drop of peptic activity in gastric juice, regardless of the histological condition of the antrum. The lowest value of peptic activity may be noticed in case of atrophic pan-gastritis. Pre-atrophic and atrophic gastritis limited to the antrum--with superficial fundic gastritis--does not involve significant decreases of peptic activity in gastric juice. In this experiences Helicobacter pylori seem to influence peptic secretion: in fact, there is an increases of peptic activity in gastric juice in case of chronic pre-atrophic gastritis HP+.