Survey on the Endoscopic Diagnosis of Chronic Gastritis

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic classification of chronic gastritis has not been standardized yet. Patterns of endoscopic classification in the real clinical practice are not defined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From July 2013 to September 2013, a questionnaire consisting of eight questions on endoscopic gastritis was surveyed. The correct answer for endoscopic diagnosis of chronic gastritis was defined by an advisory group, including professors of gastroenterology. A total of 189 physicians, most of them primary care physicians, participated in the survey. RESULTS: The overall agreement with standard endoscopic diagnoses was 56 percent. The correct answer for each question was 56 percent for erosive gastritis, 58 percent for hypertrophic gastritis, 60 percent for atrophic gastritis, 52 percent for metaplastic gastritis, respectively. In the superficial gastritis case, the ratio of correct answer was 24 percent, which was lowest among all the questions. Forty-four percent of all participants answered superficial gastritis as hemorrhagic gastritis. These results reveal that hemorrhagic gastritis is diagnosed inappropriately and needs further attention to prevent patients from unnecessary worries and misunderstandings. The correct answer for nodular gastritis was 42 percent, which is relatively low as well. Considering the significance of nodular gastritis as a risk factor for gastric cancer, education for endoscopist to detect nodular gastritis is indispensable. CONCLUSIONS: There was significant discrepancy on the endoscopic diagnosis of chronic gastritis. Further studies to develop a new standardized guideline for diagnosis of gastritis should be accompanied.