[Lymph follicle formation and development of intestinal metaplasia in antrum mucosa as a reaction to Helicobacter pylori infection].

We examined 171 patients (76 females and 95 males) with definite type B-Gastritis. Antrum specimens were taken from all participants for histological examination. We studied the correlations between the formation of lymphoid follicles, the severity of gastritis, the degree of activity of gastritis and the density of Helicobacter pylori colonization. In addition we noted the distribution and extent of the intestinal metaplasia. In patients with high degree HP-colonization we found formation of lymphoid follicles in 59.8%, in patients with low degree HP-colonization in 35% and in patients without colonization only in 10.2% (high degree vs. low degree colonization p less than 0.05, low degree vs. absent colonization p less than 0.025, high degree vs. absent colonization p less than 0.0005). In patients with high grade type B-Gastritis we detected formation of lymphoid folliclesin 58%. There was no case of formation of lymphoid follicles in patients with low grade type B-Gastritis. Patients with a high grade activity of the type B-Gastritis displayed a formation of lymphoid follicles in a higher percentage as patients with a low grade activity of the gastritis (66% vs. 33%, p less than 0.0005). In the antrum intestinal metaplasia of the types I and II could be found significantly more frequent in patients with high grade Type B-Gastritis than in patients with low grade Type B-Gastritis (34.1% vs. 8.8%, p less than 0.005). Intestinal metaplasia was found more frequently in connection with high and low activity of type B-Gastritis than without activity (p less than 0.005 and p less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)