Chronic nonspecific duodenitis. A multiple biopsy study of the duodenal bulb in health and disease.

A clinical, endoscopic and histopathologic study on chronic nonspecific duodenitis was performed in 174 subjects, 124 patients (control patients, patients with gastric or duodenal ulcer and nonulcer dyspepsia) and 50 healthy volunteers without clinical history of gastro-intestinal disease. Chronic nonspecific duodenitis was found in 6 healthy volunteers (12%), 5 control patients (7%), one gastric ulcer patient (7%), all duodenal ulcer patients and in 15 patients with nonulcer dyspepsia (83%). Chronic non-specific duodenitis is a focal process affecting the duodenal bulb. It can be missed when only one biopsy is studied. Superficial gastric metaplasia was directly correlated to gastric acid secretion and was found in 32 healthy volunteers (64%), 23 control patients (34%), six gastric ulcer patients (43%), 20 duodenal ulcer patients (20%) and in 17 patients with nonulcer dyspepsia (94%). This study suggests that chronic nonspecific duodenitis is a stage of duodenal ulcer disease.