Serological parameters in assessment of degree of gastritis in healthy volunteers

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Abstract
This study was undertaken in healthy volunteers to determine the relation between serum levels of pepsinogen A, pepsinogen C, pepsinogen A:C ratio, and gastrin on the one hand and histology of the gastric mucosa on the other. The grade of gastritis was scored separately for antral and fundic mucosa by three different classifications: Whitehead, activity, and the Sydney score. Among 48 healthy volunteers studied, 17 were found to have gastritis according to the criteria of Whitehead. Fourteen of these 17 subjects with gastritis hadH. pylori in gastric biopsies. In all 48 subjects serum pepsinogen A (r=0.298−0.506;PPr between −0.377 and −0.495;PPr=0.38−0.695;P=0.007−Pr=0.520;P=0.03), weakly with the Sydney score (r=0.465;P=0.06), but not with the Whitehead score. Serum PgC correlated with the Whitehead (r=0.555;P=0.02) and Sydney score (r=0.523;P=0.03), but only weakly with the activity score (r=0.441;P=0.08). The pepsinogen A:C ratio showed only a weak inverse correlation with the Whitehead gastritis score (r=−0.471;P=0.06), but not with the two other scores. Serum gastrin was significantly correlated with the Whitehead (r=0.634;P=0.006) and the Sydney score (r=0.501;P=0.04), but not with the activity score of the fundic mucosa. It is concluded that among healthy volunteers with gastritis, serological parameters are only correlated to the severity of corpus but not of antral gastritis. Serum PgC and gastrin correlated to the severity of corpus gastritis only if atrophy is comprised in the classification. In contrast, serum PgA correlates only with the activity of corpus gastritis. Thus, serological parameters reflect specific histologic features of gastritis of the gastric body, but not of the antrum.