[Clinical and morphological features of gastric and duodenal lesions in patients with chronic hepatitis].

Clinical presentation, endoscopic picture and morphological changes of gastric and duodenal mucosa were evaluated in 75 patients with chronic hepatitis of different (viral and non-viral) etiology. Endoscopic, morphological, and immunohistochemical studies revealed deterioration of morphometric characteristics of somatostatin-immunopositive epitheliocytes in gastric mucosa and their improvement in epitheliocytes producing endothelin-1 and nitric oxide synthase. These changes were associated with decreased proliferative activity and enhanced apoptosis of epitheliocytes in gastric mucosa.