[Gastritis. Cause and significance].

Despite the high incidence and the increasing frequency gastritis is a true pathological process of the gastric mucosa. The importance of gastritis is not due to the symptoms but due to the altered reagibility of the stomach mucosa against exogenous and endogenous noxes. Two different forms fo chronic atrophic gastritis are to be distinguish concerning localization and etiology. Type A possibly is caused by an immunological process and is localized in the corpus mucosa. The more frequent typ B is localized in the antral mucosa and may be caused by exogen factors. None of these different forms of gastritis is a true precancerosis. However, dysplasia and enterocolic metaplasia which can appear in the course of chronic atrophic gastritis should be payed special attention because of a possible increased frequency of malignancy.