title: Intrinsic factor antibody negative atrophic gastritis; is it different from pernicious anaemia?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  H. pylori gastritis and autoimmune gastritis are the two main types of chronic atrophic gastritis. Parietal cell antibody (PCA) and intrinsic factor antibody (IFA) are characteristic of autoimmune gastritis, of which IFA is more specific. Patients who are IFA negative are considered under the category of chronic atrophic gastritis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To differentiate IFA positive from IFA negative chronic atrophic gastritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty consecutive patients of biopsy proven chronic atrophic gastritis were included in this study. All patients underwent haematological and biochemical tests including serum LDH, vitamin B12 and fasting serum gastrin levels. PCA and IFA antibodies were tested in all patients. Multiple gastric biopsies from body and antrum of the stomach were taken and evaluated for presence of intestinal metaplasia, endocrine cell hyperplasia, carcinoid and H. pylori infection. Patients were grouped as group A (IFA positive) and group B (IFA negative). The mean laboratory values and histological parameters were compared between the two groups using appropriate statistical methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighteen patients were in group A (mean age 55.5 +/- 13 years, male: female = 16:2) and thirty-two in group B (mean age 49.7 +/- 13 years, male: female = 25:7). There was no statistically significant difference between median values of haemoglobin, MCV, LDH, Vitamin B12 and serum gastrin in both the groups. None of the histological parameters showed any significant difference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no statistically significant difference in haematological, biochemical and histological parameters in IFA positive and negative gastritis. These may be the spectrum of the same disease, where H. pylori may be responsible for initiating the process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Bombay Hospital & Medical Research Centre, Mumbai, India. amarapurkar@gmail.com
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Amarapurkar
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Amarapurkar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000752:Anemia, Pernicious / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology; D001706:Biopsy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D016145:Endoscopy, Digestive System; D005260:Female; D005757:Gastritis, Atrophic / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D007437:Intrinsic Factor / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010295:Parietal Cells, Gastric / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D007437:Intrinsic Factor