Disaccharidase Activities of the Atrophic Gastric Mucosa with Intestinal Metaplasia

Abstract

The histology and disaccharidase activities of the gastric mucosa were studied in nine patients with case histories suggestive of atrophic gastritis. It was observed that maltase and sucrase activities and possibly also lactase activity were higher in the gastric mucosa with intestinal metaplasia than in normal gastric mucosa and in an atrophic mucosa without intestinal metaplasia. However, the disaccharidase activities of the gastric mucosa with intestinal metaplasia were only about one-tenth of the activities found in normal jejunal mucosa.

Key-words:

• Gastric mucosa
• gastritis
• metaplasia
• enzymes
• enzyme tests