Gastric chief cell mass in chronic gastritis. Count and relationships to parietal cell mass and functional indices.

The chief cell mass, expressed as the Zymogenous Index (number of cells per mm2 multiplied by the thickness of the glandular layer) was calculated in 42 subjects with chronic gastritis, and in 40 subjects with normal gastric mucosa, and was compared with the serum concentration of Pepsinogen I (PG I), with the parietal cell mass (expressed as Parietal Index: number of cells per mm2 multiplied by the thickness of the glandular layer), and with the acid output. The results showed that there are no significant variations in the chief cells in comparison with healthy controls in the case of superficial gastritis and follicular gastritis. Conversely, in the case of pre-atrophic and atrophic gastritis there is a significant reduction in the chief cell mass. The serum PG I increases significantly in the case of superficial gastritis as compared with healthy controls, while it is equivalent in the case of follicular gastritis, decreases non-significantly in pre-atrophic gastritis and is significantly reduced in the case of atrophic gastritis. The parietal cell mass shows a behavior equivalent to that of the chief cell mass, and the acid output decreases significantly in the case of pre-atrophic and atrophic gastritis, with no significant variations in the case of superficial and follicular gastritis. On comparing the behavior of the chief cell mass with that of the parietal cell mass, it was noticed that in the most severe stages of chronic gastritis there is a more pronounced reduction of the former than of the latter.