[The morphometric and immunohistochemical characteristics of the gastric and duodenal mucosa in systemic lupus erythematosus].

Histological, morphometric, and immunohistochemical studies of biopsy specimens from the mucosa of the body and antral portion of the stomach, the bulb and descending portion of the duodenum were performed in 27 children with systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE) and in 12 with chronic gastroduodenitis. The inflammatory infiltrate from SLE patients was found to contain higher levels of young and mature fibroblasts than that from patients with chronic gastroduodenitis, mature fibroblasts being prevalent. The inflammatory changes in the gastric and duodenal mucosa were ascertained to be associated with the progression of SLE. In exacerbation of SLE, the walls of vessels (arterioles) exhibited immune complexes classified mainly as IgG and, to a lesser degree, as IgM. In remission, the luminescence of the vessels decreased. The serum level of immunoglobins did not correlate with their regional production in the gastric and duodenal mucosa.