Histopathological Characteristics of Chronic Gastritis Among Patients from Kassala and Red Sea States, Sudan

Abstract Background: Chronic gastritis is a common inflammatory condition of the gastric mucosa and an important precursor of premalignant gastric lesions. Histopathological evaluation remains the gold standard for diagnosing chronic gastritis and detecting associated pathological changes, including Helicobacter pylori infection and intestinal metaplasia. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 59 patients with histopathologically confirmed chronic gastritis from Kassala and Red Sea States, Sudan. Gastric biopsy specimens obtained during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were stained with Giemsa for H. pylori detection and Periodic Acid–Schiff/Alcian Blue for intestinal metaplasia. Demographic and histopathological data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. Associations between categorical variables were assessed using the Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test, with P  < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results The mean age of the participants was 45.6 ± 15.9 years, and 62.7% were male. H. pylori infection was detected in 10 (16.9%) patients, while intestinal metaplasia was identified in 9 (15.3%). No cases of mucosal atrophy were observed. H. pylori infection was significantly more common among females than males (36.4% vs. 5.4%; P  = 0.004). No significant associations were found between age and H. pylori infection ( P  = 0.924), age and intestinal metaplasia ( P  = 0.516), gender and intestinal metaplasia ( P  = 0.488), or intestinal metaplasia and H. pylori infection ( P  = 0.522). Conclusion Most patients demonstrated chronic gastritis without advanced premalignant histopathological changes. Intestinal metaplasia was present in a minority of cases, whereas mucosal atrophy was absent. Larger multicenter studies are warranted to further characterize the histopathological spectrum of chronic gastritis in Sudan.