Distribution of parietal cells in the antral mucosa of human stomachs.

The distribution of parietal cells in the antral mucosa was examined in 118 stomachs obtained at necropsy from persons of both sexes and all ages in whom death resulted from a wide variety of causes, except gastric lesions. The parietal cells appeared in the antrum in 116 out of 118 cases (98.3%). The patterns of distribution of parietal cells were divided into 4 groups. The most frequent pattern (76.3%) was that in which the parietal cells were distributed in all regions of the antrum including just proximal to the gastro-duodenal junction. Parietal cells were found most frequently in the area just proximal to the junction at 20 to 40 years of age and also at 70 years of age. In 18 of the 118 stomachs the focal concentration of the parietal cells near the duodenum was greater than the other part of the antrum, reaching more than 50% of the parietal cells of the average fundic gland. The density increased in slight antral gastric and decreased in cases with moderate to severe antral gastritis. On the other hand, clustered parietal cells were present in the proximal part of the duodenum in 27 of 118 cases. Parietal cells were found also in the antrum of stomachs from newborns and infants, thus this is not metaplasia or dystopia, but is a physiological finding. Therefore the parietal cells in the antrum were considered as a usual cell component of the pyloric gland.