Menetrier's disease

Menetrier's disease is a disease of the stomach characterised by giant hypertrophy of the mucosa of the gastric fundus with cystic changes in the crypts; the antrum is spared. It is associated with protein loss - sometimes to the point of peripheral oedema. It is treated by partial gastrectomy, although the subsequent likelihood of malnutrition due to surgery must be weighed against the present nutritional deficit.

It may predispose to malignancy - Scharschmidt found that stomach carcinoma developed in 10% of cases (1).

The condition should be distinguished from hyper-rugosity of the gastric mucosa in which there is no protein loss and which may be associated with the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

Reference:

• 1) Scharschmidt, B. (1977) The natural history of hypertrophic gastropathy (Menetrier's disease). A review based upon 120 cases. Am. J. Med. 63:644.