Autoimmune gastritis: relationships with anemia and Helicobacter pylori status.

Background: Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is a gastric pathologic condition affecting the mucosa of the
fundus and the body and eventually leading to hypo-achlorhydria.
Aims: We report our clinical and pathological experience with AIG.
Methods: Data from patients with a diagnosis of AIG seen in the period January 2002–December 2012
were retrieved. Only patients with complete sets of biopsies were analyzed.
Results: Data from 138 patients were available for analysis. Pernicious anemia was present in 25% of
patients, iron deficiency anemia was found in 29.7% of patients, hypothyroidism in 23% of patients,
type 1 diabetes in 7.9% of patients, and vitiligo in 2.8% of patients. Parietal cell antibodies were positive
in 65% of patients, and no patient had serology positive for celiac disease. All gastric biopsies
showed glandular atrophy associated with enterochromaffin-like (ECL)-cells hyperplasia, features limited
to the mucosa of the fundus and body, and focal glandular intestinal metaplasia. Helicobacter pylori
was negative in all cases.
Conclusions: AIG was strongly associated with anemia; atrophy, intestinal metaplasia and ECL hyperplasia
in the gastric fundus and body are hallmarks of this condition.