The aim of the study was to determine what is the correlation between immunological phenomena and pathological changes in chronic gastritis and how it refers to the histology and endoscopy.
Patients and methods: 42 patients with dyspepsia underwent following procedure: 1) gastroscopy and antral biopsy of 3 specimens; 2) histology; 3) immunofluorescence of the specimens in purpose to detect bound immunoglobulins using antibodies anti-human IgA + IgG + IgM labelled with rhodamine; 4) serologic test for anti-H.pylori antibodies. The research included 17 females and 25 males (ages 30-86, median 53.4 +/- 15.47). The obtained data were compared referring to mutual correlations and presented according to the kind of pathological changes depending on:--presence or absence of Helicobacter pylori infection;--presence or absence of anti-Helicobacter pylori antibodies;--presence or absence of lymphocytic infiltration;--presence or absence of bound immunoglobulins in gastric mucosa.
Results: --We have not observed ulcerations in anti-Helicobacter pylori seronegative group;--intestinal metaplasia and gastric ulcer were more frequent in bound immunoglobulins positive group;--biliary reflux was observed less frequently in lymphocyte infiltration negative group then in the positive one.
Conclusion: pathological changes in chronic gastritis may depend not only on the presence of Helicobacter pylori infection, but also on the presence and quality of immunological response on its antigens.