Brief Reports
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2005. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 14, 2005; 11(34): 5351-5357
Published online Sep 14, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i34.5351
Lack of specific association between gastric autoimmunity hallmarks and clinical presentations of atrophic body gastritis
Bruno Annibale, Edith Lahner, Riccardo Negrini, Flavia Baccini, Cesare Bordi, Bruno Monarca, Gianfranco Delle Fave
Bruno Annibale, Edith Lahner, Flavia Baccini, Gianfranco Delle Fave, Department of Digestive and Liver Disease, II School of Medicine, University “La Sapienza”, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy
Riccardo Negrini, Microbiology Department, Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy
Cesare Bordi, Pathology Department, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
Bruno Monarca, Hematology Department, University “La Sapienza”, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by Grants From the Italian Ministry for the University (MIUR), No. 02/12/01/10 1999-2002 and No. 8.111.126.5
Correspondence to: Bruno Annibale, MD, Department of Digestive and Liver Disease, University “La Sapienza”, Ospedale Sant’Andrea, Via di Grottarossa 1035, Roma 00189, Italy. bruno.annibale@uniroma1.it
Telephone: +39-6-49972369 Fax: +39-6-4455292
Received: December 14, 2004
Revised: January 10, 2005
Accepted: January 15, 2005
Published online: September 14, 2005
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the possible relationships between gastric autoimmune phenomena and clinical presentations of this disorder, in consecutive atrophic body gastritis patients.

METHODS: A total of 140 atrophic body gastritis patients, diagnosed as consecutive outpatients presenting with macrocytic or iron deficiency anemia, or longstanding dyspepsia underwent gastroscopy with antral and body biopsies, assay of intrinsic factor, parietal cells and Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) antibodies. Gastritis was assessed according to Sydney System.

RESULTS: Parietal cell antibodies were equally distributed in all clinical presentations, whereas the positivity of intrinsic factor antibodies (49/140, 35%) was significantly higher in pernicious anemia patients (49.2%) than in iron deficiency (21.1%) and dyspeptic patients (27.8%). No specific pattern of autoantibodies was related to the clinical presentations of atrophic body gastritis. A positive correlation was obtained between the body atrophy score and the intrinsic factor antibody levels (r = 0.2216, P = 0.0085). Associated autoimmune diseases were present in 25/140 (17.9%) patients, but the prevalence of autoimmune diseases was comparable, irrespective of the clinical presentations.

CONCLUSION: The so-called hallmarks of gastric autoimmunity, particularly in intrinsic factor antibody cannot be usefully employed in defining an autoimmune pattern in the clinical presentations of ABG.

Keywords: Atrophic body gastritis; Intrinsic factor antibodies; Helicobacter pylori; Iron deficiency anemia; Pernicious anemia