Detection of gastric epithelium in the duodenum in patients with duodenal ulcer

ABSTRACT

Detection or gastric epithelium was studied in 20 patients with symptomatic and endoscopically proven duodenal ulcer. HistopathoIogic study of biopsies taken from the mucosa close to ulcers showed that five patients [25%] had normal villi, 12 patients [60%] had atrophic villi and 3 had snort blunt villi [15%]. Gastric epithelium was detected in 15.9% of the total villi. Gastric cells were more prevalent in women than in men, present in clusters, more in the stunted villi and near the tips and sides, they appear when free acidity is higher than 20 mEq/L. It could be suggested that the appearance of gastric epithelium in duodenal ulcers may be a metapIasia from intestinal cells which play may play a protective role against high acidity. The greater prevalence in women may play a part in relative immunity of that sex to the development of duodenal ulcer