Abstract
Gastric mucosal defence mechanism of gastric mucosal redness by means of endo-scopical measurment of gastric mucosal blood fiow (BF), gastric mucosal potential differ-ence (PD) and gastric mucosal pH (pH) was studied. Gastric mucosal redness was classified into 3 types: comb-like redness, patch redness and teleangiectasia. Furthermore, patch redness was classified into 3 types: F-type of the fundic gland area, P-type of the pyloric gland area and so called "red spot". Normal pits were observed on the comblike redness and F-type of patch redness by magnifying endoscope, and this could be distinguished from erosion. Relationship between the redness and atrophic pattern classified with endoscopic congo-red method was studied in 219 cases of comb-like redness, 115 cases of patch redness and 455 cases of control. In control an open type increased with aging. But, in redness cases a closed type were dominantly in regardless of age. The closed type of atrophic pattern was seen in 97.7% of the cases with comb-like redness, 81% of the cases with patch redness. It was recognized that BF measured by H2 gas clearance method decreased on the mucosa with redness as compared with the surrounding mucosa, but there was no difference in PD and pH between the both mucosae. This evidence might be supported by the histological findings of biopsied specimens that edema and hyperemia increased on the redness mucosa, but cellular infiltration did not distinguish the both mucosae. From these results, it is concluded that much attention should be paid to the role of redness in the etiology of erosion and acute gastric mucosal lesion.
