Gastric atrophy, diagnosing and staging

Figure 1 Duodenal ulcer and gastric ulcer represent two ends of one disease “H pylori infection”. Unlike gastric ulcer patients, duodenal ulcer patients have a long lag period before developing gastric atrophy. Disease progression is dependent on H pylori infection (cured/uncured) and other environmental factors such that in some countries DU would be considered protective against the development of gastric carcinoma.

Figure 2 The diagnosis of pseudopyloric metaplasia can be facilitated by using pepsinogen I immunostain. Pepsinogen I (PG I) is localized in chief cells, mucous-neck cells and transitional mucous-neck/chief cells of the human fundic mucosa[78] and is negative in antral gland cells.