Family patterns of antro- fundal gastritis

311 first-degree relatives of 78 consecutive patients with gastric carcinoma and 386 first-degree relative of control probands computer matched from a large Finnish population were studied by means of biopsies from antrum and the fundus and by functional and immunological methods. Both the A and B type of Strickland the McKay as well as the AB types of Pitchumoni and Glass were discernable in the present series and often accumulated in the same families. Particularly the A type associated with high serum gastrin values and parietal cell antibodies revealed a family accumulation. In general members of the same family tended to behave similarly with regard to morhology, function and immunology of the antro-fundal mucosa. The 386 computer matched controls from the general population were treated by means of mathematical methods derived from stochastic theory. It appeared that on a family level there was clearly discernable a line representin families with predominance of fundal gastritis (A type?) which significantly deviated from the main population. However, no such behavior was found as to the families with predominantly antral gastritis (B type?) which behaved like the population at large.