Gastric metaplasia and Campylobacter pylori infection of duodenum in patients with chronic renal failure.

Duodenal biopsy specimens from 80 patients with chronic renal failure, who were undergoing haemodialysis, were examined by light microscopy for evidence of inflammation, gastric metaplasia, and Campylobacter pylori infection. Chronic duodenitis was present in 47 (59%) of patients, of whom only seven (9%) showed evidence of active inflammation. Gastric metaplasia was present in 50 (62.5%) of patients, yet Campylobacter pylori was identified in only two patients (2.5%). It is suggested that the duodenal environment of patients with chronic renal failure remains hostile to the growth of these organisms in spite of the presence of gastric metaplasia.