Objective: To investigate the histomorphological characteristics of the gastric mucosa and the prognosis in patients with Helicobacter pylori infection.
Methods: Progressive damage to the gastric mucosa was examined by immunohistochemistry in 2294 patients with H. pylori infection and follow-up information was analyzed.
Results: H. pylori initially colonized the mucus layer covered by the gastric mucosa epithelium, then selectively adhered to and destroyed the surface mucus cells causing intra-gastric and extra-gastric lesions. Gastric mucosal damage induced by H. pylori was divided into five stages according to the depth of H. pylori invasion and degree of lesion deterioration: mucilaginous, surface mucocellular, lamina propria lesion, mucosal atrophy, and intraepithelial neoplasia stages. Morphological follow-up analysis revealed no significant difference in 6-month curative effects between stage I and stage II, but significant differences were found between stages II and III, stages III and IV, and between stages IV and stage V, respectively.
Conclusions: This novel staging strategy may be a valuable tool for diagnosing and predicting the results of gastric mucosal damage induced by H. pylori infection.
Keywords: Helicobacter pylori; damage stage; disease progression; gastric mucosa; histopathology; immunohistochemistry.