Gastroscopy was performed in 543 patients with an average of 52.8 years. Of these patients 248 had atrophic gastritis. In over one third of the 248 patients the gastritis inclosed the entire mucosa. In the remaining patients the antrum was most frequently inclosed. In a higher age group more extensive involvement was found. Males had a significantly higher association with alcohol and tobacco abuse (73.0 and 73.7%) as compared to females (20.8 and 13.5%). Out of 21 patients in the group under 30 years all but one were males, probably because of higher alcohol and tobacco abuse in males. It is recommended, that periodic gastroscopic examinations with biopsies be performed in these patients since a significant portion of patients with atrophic gastritis develop gastric carcinoma.