Gastritis classified in accordance with the Sydney System in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome

Background: According to some earlier reports, chronic atrophic gastritis is a common finding in Sjogren's syndrome. However, the findings are controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of gastritis classified in accordance with the Sydney System in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome. Methods: Thirty-two consecutive patients (27 women, 5 men) with primary Sjogren's syndrome, and 64 age- and sex-matched control subjects with dyspepsia underwent gastroscopic examination. Mucosal biopsy specimens were taken from the gastric antrum and corpus. Results: Eight (25%) patients with Sjogren's syndrome and three (4.1%) control subjects had atrophic antral gastritis (P = 0.01). Atrophic corpus gastritis was more frequently found in control subjects, but the difference was not statistically significant. None of the subjects had severe (grade 3) atrophy. Gastric inflammation, in either the corpus or antrum, was found in 85% of patients with Sjogren's syndrome and in 61% of control subjects (P = 0.02). Helicobacter pylori was present in 31% of Sjogren's syndrome patients and in 39% of controls (NS). Conclusions: In patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome mild atrophic changes in the antrum were common, but severe mucosal atrophy was rare. Compared with control subjects, gastric inflammation was seen more often in patients with Sjogren's syndrome.