Gastritis

DIFFUSE inflammation of the gastric mucosa may be described as gastritis. Most of our knowledge relates to pathologic changes in the gastric gland area or body of the stomach, but similar changes in the gastric antrum have been little studied. The mucosa of the body of the stomach contains acid-producing or parietal cells and chief cells, which appear to contain at least one gastric pepsinogen. Castle's intrinsic factor, an essential for the physiologic absorption of trace amounts of vitamin B12, also is probably elaborated, in man, in the parietal cells. Normal body mucosa contains few inflammatory cells. Collections . . .