Diagnostic Considerations

Chronic atrophic gastritis with intestinal metaplasia is recognized to be a precancerous lesion that can evolve toward low- and high-grade intraepithelial lesions and gastric cancer, particularly those involving H pylori infection.^[1]Clinicians must identify patients at risk of developing gastric carcinoma to increase clinical surveillance, early recognition, and prompt treatment. At present, the Operative Link on Gastritis Assessment (OLGA) staging system appears to be the most reliable and powerful system for identifying these high-risk patients.^[1]

Autoimmune atrophic gastritis has been associated with thyroid diseases, type 1 diabetes mellitus, Addison disease, chronic spontaneous urticaria, myasthenia gravis, vitiligo, and perioral cutaneous autoimmune conditions (eg, erosive oral lichen planus).^[2]Thus, in the setting of any autoimmune condition and increased autoimmune disease clustering, clinicians should rule out concomitant autoimmune conditions.^[2]

Differential Diagnoses

Workup

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Media Gallery

Atrophic gastritis. Schematic representation of Helicobacter pylori–associated patterns of gastritis. Involvement of the corpus, fundus, and gastric antrum, with progressive development of gastric atrophy as a result of the loss of gastric glands and partial replacement of gastric glands by intestinal-type epithelium, or intestinal metaplasia (represented by the blue areas in the diagram) characterize multifocal atrophic gastritis. Individuals who develop gastric carcinoma and gastric ulcers usually present with this pattern of gastritis. Inflammation mostly limited to the antrum characterizes antral-predominant gastritis. Individuals with peptic ulcers usually develop this pattern of gastritis, and it is the most frequent pattern in the Western countries.
Patterns of atrophic gastritis associated with chronic Helicobacter pylori infection and autoimmune gastritis.
Atrophic gastritis. Helicobacter pylori–associated chronic active gastritis (Genta stain, 20x). Multiple organisms (brown) are observed adhering to gastric surface epithelial cells. A mononuclear lymphoplasmacytic and polymorphonuclear cell infiltrate is observed in the mucosa.
Atrophic gastritis. Intestinal metaplasia of the gastric mucosa (Genta stain, 20x). Intestinal-type epithelium with numerous goblet cells (stained blue with the Alcian blue stain) replace the gastric mucosa and represent gastric atrophy. Mild chronic inflammation is observed in the lamina propria. This pattern of atrophy is observed both in Helicobacter pylori–associated atrophic gastritis and autoimmune gastritis.
Marked gastric atrophy of the stomach body.
Severe gastric atrophy of the stomach antrum.

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Author

Nafea Zayouna, MD Fellow, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, St John Providence Hospital

Nafea Zayouna, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Gastroenterology, American College of Physicians, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Michael H Piper, MD Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Wayne State University School of Medicine; Consulting Staff, Digestive Health Associates, PLC

Michael H Piper, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Gastroenterology, American College of Physicians, Michigan State Medical Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Received salary from Medscape for employment. for: Medscape.

Chief Editor

BS Anand, MD Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Baylor College of Medicine

BS Anand, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Additional Contributors

Gregory William Rutecki, MD Professor of Medicine, Fellow of The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, University of South Alabama College of Medicine

Gregory William Rutecki, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians, American Society of Nephrology, National Kidney Foundation, Society of General Internal Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Acknowledgements

Simmy Bank, MD Chair, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Long Island Jewish Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Sandeep Mukherjee, MB, BCh, MPH, FRCPC Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Nebraska Medical Center; Consulting Staff, Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Veteran Affairs Medical Center

Disclosure: Merck Honoraria Speaking and teaching; Ikaria Pharmaceuticals Honoraria Board membership

Antonia R Sepulveda, MD, PhD Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Director of Surgical Pathology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Antonia R Sepulveda, MD, PhD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for Cancer Research, American Gastroenterological Association, American Society for Investigative Pathology, College of American Pathologists, and United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology

Disclosure: Genentech Honoraria Consulting; Leica Honoraria Consulting