TY - JOUR T1 - Inflammation and cytokeratin 7/20 staining of cardiac mucosa in young patients with and without <em>Helicobacter pylori</em> infection JF - Journal of Clinical Pathology JO - J Clin Pathol SP - 376 LP - 381 DO - 10.1136/jcp.2004.020966 VL - 58 IS - 4 AU - A Oksanen AU - A Sankila AU - K von Boguslawski AU - P Sipponen AU - H Rautelin Y1 - 2005/04/01 UR - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/58/4/376.abstract N2 - Background: Both Helicobacter pylori and gastro–oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) may cause inflammation in cardiac mucosa. Intestinal metaplasia (IM) is found more often in GORD associated inflammation than in inflammation caused by H pylori, especially in young individuals. Aim: To examine morphological differences in chronic inflammation in these two conditions by immunohistochemistry. Patients/Methods: Tissue blocks from cardiac mucosa of patients &lt;45 years were available as follows: 10 patients with chronic inflammation of cardiac mucosa (carditis) and H pylori gastritis (group 1); 10 patients with (possibly GORD related) carditis, but normal antrum and corpus (group 2); and 10 patients with non-inflamed cardiac mucosa and normal antrum and corpus (group 3). Haematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical staining for various inflammatory cells were performed for patients in groups 1 and 2 as follows: CD20 (B cells), CD3 (T cells), CD4 (T helper cells), CD8 (T suppressor cells), CD163 (macrophages), CD138 (plasma cells), and CD117 (mast cells). For all patients, cytokeratin 7/20 (CK7/20) staining was performed. Results: No clear differences were seen in the morphology of chronic inflammation between groups 1 and 2. In both, plasma cells were most abundant. CK7/20 staining showed no differences between these groups. Conclusion:Helicobacter pylori negative (possibly GORD associated) and H pylori related carditis cannot be distinguished on a morphological basis. The stronger tendency towards IM in the first entity cannot be explained by differences in the type of inflammation. Barrett-type CK7/20 staining seems typical for cardiac mucosa, irrespective of the type of inflammation or presence of IM. ER -