Chronic gastritis and alcohol.

In order to analyse the relationship between the incidence of chronic gastritis and chronic alcohol consumption, the histological pattern of fundic and antral mucosa was studied in 30 asymptomatic non-alcoholic volunteers, 20 heavy drinkers without liver cirrhosis, 39 alcoholics with liver cirrhosis, and 14 non-alcoholic subjects with liver cirrhosis. The data demonstrate an increased incidence of preatrophic gastritis in the fundic as well as in the antral mucosa in abstemious patients with liver cirrhosis, while no significant differences were found between the other three groups. However, the incidence of chronic gastritis, did not show significant differences between the four different groups if subjects of the same age are compared. In conclusion, alcohol does not play an important role in the development of chronic gastritis, particularly in gastritis with major mucosal damage.