Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in specific forms of gastritis. Further evidence supporting a pathogenic role for H. pylori in chronic nonspecific gastritis.

Helicobacter pylori colonization of the gastric mucosa is strongly associated with chronic nonspecific gastritis; moreover, there is evidence to suggest thatH. pylori may cause this form of gastritis. However, there is little or no information on the prevalence ofH. pylori in specific forms of gastritis. Our hypothesis was that ifH. pylori was pathogenic in chronic nonspecific gastritis, organisms would be found frequently in this type of gastritis but infrequently in specific forms of gastritis. Prevalence rates ofH. pylori were determined independently in patients with eosinophilic and Crohn's gastritis, Menetrier's disease, and chronic nonspecific gastritis. The prevalence ofH. pylori in patients with chronic nonspecific gastritis was 71%, whereas the organism was not identified in patients with any form of specific gastritis. This finding further supports the accumulating evidence thatH. pylori is a primary pathogenic factor in chronic nonspecific gastritis.