Chemicopathologic findings in bilharzial portal gastropathy, correlation between serum gastrin, gastric acid output, histopathologic findings and antral agyrophil cells

ABSTRACT

This study attempted to correlate the changes in serum gastrin, basal gastric acid output, histopathologic findings in the antral gastric mucosa and its G cells in patients with bilharzial portal gastropathy. Forty patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis recovered from ruptured esophageal varices were selected in addition to ten healthy control persons of matched age and sex. All patients and controls were subjected to thorough clinical examination, endoscopy with antral punch biopsy for histopathologic examination and histochemical staining of antral G cells. There was a significant positive correlation between serum gastrin and the number of G cells and a significant negative correlation between basal gastric acid output and the number of G cells. However, a nonsignificant correlation was found between serum gastrin, histopathologic changes, portal vein diameter and degree of liver damage denoting that hypergastrinemia was due to the overproduction and impaired feedback inhibition by gastric acid output