Table 1.

Histological scoring scheme to grade PMN and lymphocyte inflammatory scores

Score	Criteria	Definition of criteria
0	No inflammation	Absence of immune cells in the mucosa
1	Milda multifocal	Scattered clumps of two or three immune cells
2	Mild widespread OR moderateb multifocal	Mild widespread = widespread scattering of two or three immune cells across most of the antrum or fundus; moderate multifocal = larger clumps of immune cells seen in a few fields per region
3	Mild widespread AND moderate OR severec multifocal	As per 2. Severe multifocal = large infiltrations of immune cells across the whole width of the mucosa
4	Moderate widespread	Large clumps of immune cells seen throughout the whole width of mucosa
5	Moderate widespread and severe multifocal	As per 4 but also with areas of dense concentrations of immune cells
6	Severe widespread	Dense sheets of immune cells throughout the mucosa

^aMild inflammation was defined as an influx of inflammatory cells in the basal region of the mucosa

^bModerate inflammation describes inflammatory cells extending up to the mid-region of the mucosa

^cSevere inflammation describes immune cell infiltration throughout the full thickness of the mucosa