Long-Term Follow-up of Subjects with Superficial Gastritis or a Normal Gastric Mucosa

Abstract

A total of 377 subjects with different conditions of the gastric body mucosa have been followed up over a long period. In the present study 168 subjects with a normal gastric mucosa and 93 with superficial gastritis were followed up for 16–20 years. Bioptical follow-up examinations revealed that gastritis tends to persist or to progress, and that atrophic gastritis seems to develop from superficial gastritis. In a number of subjects with a normal gastric mucosa this remained normal in spite of advanced age and a long period of observation. In one subject with superficial gastritis in 1952, atrophic gastritis was found in 1961 and signs of gastric carcinoma in 1969.

Key-words:

• Carcinoma of the stomach
• gastritis
• stomach