Gastric mucosal Helicobacter pylori distribution and its implications.

In tile present study the clinicopathological aspects of H. pylori infection in different parts of the stomach were investigated in 36 patients. The results showed that 28 patients (77.8%) were H. pylori positive and 8 patients (22.2%) were H. pylori negative by histopathology and confirmation with modified Giemsa stain. There was no statistically significant difference belween H. pylori positive and negative patients regarding dyspeptic symptoms or intestinal metaplasia histopathologically. Histopathological examination revealed chronic gastritis with mononuclear cell infiltration in all studied patients. According to the degree of cell infiltration, chronic gastritis was graded as mild, moderate and severe. There was a statistically significant difference between H. pylori positive and H. pylori negative patients regarding both severity and activity of chronic gastritis in the antrum and body compared to the fundus. Also, there was significant correlation between the grade of H. pylori colonization and the grade of chronic active gastritis on one hand and between H. pylori infection and atrophic gastritis. The serum anti-H. Pylori - IgG positive cases who were H pylori negative by history, showed atrophic gastritis acid intestinal metaplasia. This may be due to the fact that the mucosa has become inhospitable for H. pylori.