Congestive gastropathy versus chronic gastritis: a comparison of some pathophysiological aspects.

In order to investigate some pathophysiological aspects of the two diseases, 15 patients with congestive gastropathy and 15 with chronic gastritis have been studied and compared with 15 healthy controls. Gastric blood flow as determined during endoscopy by means of laser Doppler flowmetry was found to be significantly increased (p < 0.001) in congestive gastropathy, whereas a significant reduction (p < 0.001) was noted in chronic gastritis. On the other hand, Helicobacter pylori was detected in 80% of cases in chronic gastritis, while the prevalence of the microorganism in congestive gastritis was similar to that in healthy controls. It is concluded that chronic gastritis and congestive gastropathy are related to different pathogenetic factors and require different therapeutic approaches.