pathology
Last reviewed 01/2018
The pathogenesis of H. pylori-associated gastritis is characterised by:
- predominant involvement of the antrum
- characterised by presence of markers of chronic (mononuclear cells) and active (neutrophils) inflammation
- intestinal metaplasia and atrophy:
- predominantly in the antrum and corpus
- as atrophy of the corpus progresses the gastric acid secretion reduces and the patient may become less symptomatic from any ulcer disease
- the hypochlorhydric state is a risk factor for the development of gastric cancer
- development of lymphatic tissue:
- the normal gastric mucosa contains no lymphatic tissue - patients with chronci H. pylori infection have mucosa-associated lymphatic tissue.
- there is evidence linking H. pylori gastritis with gastric lymphoma.