[Alcohol consumption and chronic gastritis].

History of alcohol intake was evaluated in 1,500 patients who had gastroscopy for different reasons. Alcohol intake was related to histological findings of antrum and corpus mucosa. No statistically significant correlation between lesions and alcohol intake could be found. There was a correlation between incidence and severity of gastritis on the one hand and increasing age on the other. The patients under investigation were beer drinkers in the first line. For this reason our findings do not allow any conclusions in regard to persons, who usually drink higher concentrated alcohol beverages. The conclusion can be drawn however that even excessive drinking of beer does not seem to cause chronic gastritis.