Anti-parietal cell antibodies seroconversion in patients with autoimmune atrophic gastritis: a prospective study

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the atrophic changes of body and antrum gastric mucosa, the occurrence of Helicobacter pylori infection and the possibility of seroconversion in patients with autoimmune gastritis throughout 10 years. Material and methods. 203 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident recovery workers were included in the prospective study. Blood levels of anti-parietal cell antibodies, basal gastrin-17, pepsinogens I and II were evaluated in all the patients to diagnose autoimmune gastritis and to assess gastric mucosa non-invasively. Results. Anti-parietal cell antibodies were found in 34.5% of the patients. Eradication rates were low (32.850.0%) in the patients with atrophy of gastric mucosa in the first 3 years of observation. Statistically significant decrease in pepsinogen I and gastrin-17 serum levels was observed in the patients with H. pylori-associated autoimmune gastritis throughout first 46 years. In the next 710 years pepsinogen I and gastrin-17 serum levels were increasing possibly due to positive effect of H. pylori eradication therapy. Successful eradication leads to disappearance of anti-parietal cell antibodies in 33.4% of the patients by the 10th year of the observation. Conclusion. The obtained results show that H. pylori eradication therapy is effective in reducing atrophic changes of gastric mucosa in the patients with autoimmune gastritis. Against the background of successful treatment the levels of pepsinogen I and gastrin-17, the markers of body and antrum gastric mucosa atrophy, were increasing. In the patients with autoimmune gastritis but without H. pylori infection the following trend was not noticed.