Erosive prepyloric changes in persons with and without dyspepsia.

A specified endoscopic picture, consisting of standing prepyloric mucosal folds, injection, and erosions, is denoted erosive prepyloric changes (EPC) and is divided into three grades. In a prospective study in 1001 patients referred for routine upper endoscopy, active EPC (grades 2 and 3) was found in 25.8%, rising to 32.2% in dyspeptic patients with non-ulcer conditions. EPC was significantly more frequent in those below than those above 50 years of age, the male to female ratio being 1.1. In 34.5% of the EPC patients, EPC was an isolated finding. Maximal acid output was, on an average, significantly lower in patients with EPC than in duodenal ulcer patients and similar to that of healthy subjects. Non-ulcer conditions were significantly more frequent, and ulcer in general significantly less frequent, in the EPC group than in a randomly selected control group without EPC. In 34 asymptomatic volunteers the frequency of EPC was 17.6%, significantly lower than in patients of comparable age with non-ulcer conditions. The findings indicate that EPC is related to non-ulcer dyspepsia. The recognition of this condition may lead to a more accurate definition of a patient group with ulcer-like symptoms, without ulcer, and thus, in turn, result in more efficient treatment procedures.