Association of the Extent of Atrophic Gastritis With Specific Dyspeptic Symptoms

Dyspepsia-Like Symptoms in Helicobacter pylori-Negative Chronic Gastritis are Associated with ASCA-, ANCA-, and Celiac Seropositivity but Not with Other Autoimmune Parameters: A Single-Centre, Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction

Dyspeptic symptoms are frequent in the general population, with a high socioeconomic burden. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) might be a possible etiological factor; however, it is also common in H. pylori negative gastritis. Clarification of the underlying aetiology might be beneficial to set up the optimal treatment strategy for dyspepsia and chronic gastritis (CG) itself. We aimed to assess the prevalence of dyspeptic symptoms in patients with H. pylori negative CG and explore autoimmunity's possible role.

Methods

This retrospective study included data from patients with H. pylori negative CG. Exclusion criteria were (1) acute gastritis; (2) reactive gastropathy; (3) subjects without any serology testing results; (4) H. pylori positivity; (5) presence of atrophy, intestinal metaplasia (IM), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), ulcer, or cancer. The following endpoints were assessed (1) the rate of dyspepsia-like symptoms; (2) association between dyspepsia and autoimmune disease-related seromarker positivity (AISP); (3) frequency of other symptoms in CG and its association with AISP; (4) location of the inflammation and its association with AISP.

Results

From a total of 285 patients, 175 were included in this study. Among these patients, 95 experienced dyspeptic symptoms (54.29%) and were associated more with AISP (p = 0.012), especially with celiac seropositivity (p = 0.045), anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) and anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA) positivity (p = 0.043). A significant association was not found with other tested autoimmune (AI)-related antibody positivity.

Conclusion

Positivity of seromarkers of autoimmune diseases in chronic gastritis may predispose to have dyspeptic symptoms and may be the causative factor behind some cases of uninvestigated dyspepsia. These data suggest that further prospective studies are needed to clarify whether screening for autoantibodies in patients with dyspepsia is cost-effective and helps the earlier diagnosis of autoimmune diseases.

The Usefulness of Symptom-based Subtypes of Functional Dyspepsia for Predicting Underlying Pathophysiologic Mechanisms and Choosing Appropriate Therapeutic Agents

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is considered to be a heterogeneous disorder with different pathophysiological mechanisms or pathogenetic factors. In addition to traditional mechanisms, novel concepts regarding pathophysiologic mechanisms of FD have been proposed. Candidates of therapeutic agents based on novel concepts have also been suggested. FD is a symptom complex and currently diagnosed by symptom-based Rome criteria. In the Rome criteria, symptom-based subtypes of FD including postprandial distress syndrome and epigastric pain syndrome are recommended to be used, based on the assumption that each subtype is more homogenous in terms of underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms than FD as a whole. In this review, the usefulness of symptombased subtypes of FD for predicting underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms and choosing appropriate therapeutic agents was evaluated. Although several classic pathophysiologic mechanisms are suggested to be associated with individual dyspeptic symptoms, symptom-based subtypes of FD are not specific for a certain pathogenetic factor or pathophysiologic mechanism, and may be frequently associated with multiple pathophysiologic abnormalities. Novel concepts on the pathophysiology of FD show complex interactions between pathophysiologic mechanisms and pathogenetic factors, and prediction of underlying mechanisms of individual patients simply by the symptom pattern or symptom-based subtypes may not be accurate in a considerable proportion of cases. Therefore, subtyping by the Rome criteria appears to have limited value to guide therapeutic strategy, suggesting that the addition of objective parameters or subclassification reflecting physiologic or pathologic tests may be necessary for the targeted therapeutic approaches, particularly when therapeutic agents targeting novel mechanisms are available.

Assessment of gastric acidity by short-duration intragastric pH-monitoring with standardised breakfast in functional and some other dyspepsias

Introduction

Preliminary assessment of gastric secretion in the treatment of organic and functional dyspepsia may offer advantages over the empirical administration of proton pump inhibitors suggested by most clinical guidelines.

Aim

To develop a simplified pH-metric test with standardised meal, and on its basis to perform an assessment of the functional state of gastric secretion in the most common dyspepsias.

Material and methods

Serum pepsinogen 1 and 2 were used for reference. Intragastric pH-monitoring was performed during 45 min in basal phase and 135 min after provocative breakfast (507 kcal, 100 mg caffeine). Consecutive adults enrolled in the study were divided into groups: 1 – “Non-dyspeptic” – 30 persons; 2 – “Duodenal peptic ulcer” – 13; 3 – “GERD” – 82; and 4 – “Functional dyspepsia” – 125 patients.

Results

There was a moderate association between concentration of pepsinogen-1 and parameters of pH-monitoring. The best correlation coefficients were for the nadir pH in basal conditions and the time of acid neutralisation > 3.5 after the meal – r = –0.534 and r = –0.541, respectively (p < 0.0001). Using these two parameters we considered discriminants for four patterns of acidity. Proposed criteria of Hipo-anacidity included an absence of active secretion of hydrochloric acid in basal (pHmin > 5) and postprandial phases, with the achievement of stable pH < 3.5 after 80 min from meal time. They showed sensitivity 88.9% and specificity 100%. In cases of a detected pattern of hyperacidity, these parameters were 80% and 66.67%, respectively. According to the prevalence of hyperacidic cases, the groups were ranked in the following order: duodenal ulcer (76.9%) – GERD (51.1%) – functional dyspepsia (40.8%) – non-dyspeptic (19.0%).

Conclusions

Acid production is increased among patients with functional dyspepsia. There is a small number of patients with functional dyspepsia (12.1%) with hypochlorhydria due to atrophic gastritis. The latter was independently associated with age > 50 years (OR = 20.139), symptoms of postprandial distress-syndrome (OR = 9.821), and signs of atrophy (OR = 5.914) after conventional endoscopy.

Clinical manifestations of chronic atrophic gastritis

Although the actual prevalence of chronic atrophic gastritis is unknown and it is probable that this entity goes largely underdiagnosed, patients in whom diagnosis is established usually present advanced stages of disease. Destruction of parietal cells, either autoimmune-driven or as a consequence of Helicobacter pylori infection, determines reduction or abolition of acid secretion. Hypo/achloridia causes an increase in serum gastrin levels, with an increased risk of the development of neuroendocrine tumors. Microcytic, hypochromic anemia frequently precedes the development of megaloblastic, vitamin B12-associated anemia. Moreover, vitamin B12 deficiency,may cause elevation of homocysteine, with an increase in the cardiovascular risk, and may be associated with neurological manifestations, mainly characterized by spinal cord demyelination and atrophy, with ensuing sensory-motor abnormalities. Gastrointestinal manifestations seem to be associated with non-acid reflux and tend to be non-specific.

Occurrence and predictors of metaplastic atrophic gastritis in a nation-wide consecutive endoscopic population presenting with upper gastrointestinal symptoms

OBJECTIVES

The frequency of metaplastic atrophic gastritis in noninvestigated dyspepsia and its associated symptoms pattern are not known. This study aimed to assess the occurrence and clinical predictors of metaplastic atrophic gastritis in a consecutive endoscopic population presenting with upper gastrointestinal symptoms.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A post-hoc cross-sectional study was carried out on endoscopic-histological data from 668 patients (64% women, age: 58 years) with upper gastrointestinal symptoms obtained during a multicenter study. Patients with dyspeptic (46%), reflux-like symptoms (22%), and both (32%) as indications for gastroscopy were included. Gastroscopy with biopsies (Sydney System) was performed. Clinical data and symptoms were collected using a structured questionnaire.

RESULTS

Metaplastic atrophic gastritis was detected in 201 (30.1%) patients: 22.3% antrum-restricted, 4.5% corpus-restricted, and 3.3% extensive. Postprandial fullness was more frequent in patients with metaplastic atrophic gastritis compared with those without metaplastic atrophic gastritis (29.8 vs. 18.8%, P=0.002); epigastric pain/burning, early satiety, and reflux symptoms occurred similarly in both groups. At multivariate logistic regression, metaplastic atrophic gastritis (any site) was associated with age older than 55 years [odds ratio (OR): 1.86, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.26-2.73], Helicobacter pylori (OR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.1-2.39), postprandial fullness (OR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.03-2.54), and smoking (OR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.02-2.31). Corpus-restricted atrophic gastritis was associated with postprandial fullness (OR: 4.16, 95% CI: 1.79-9.63) and NSAIDs (OR: 2.98, 95% CI: 1.01-8.88), extensive and antrum-restricted atrophic gastritis was associated with age older than 55 (OR 3.6, 95% CI: 1.20-12.67 and OR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.06-2.49).

CONCLUSION

Metaplastic atrophic gastritis, a preneoplastic condition, may be found in about one of three patients undergoing endoscopy for upper gastrointestinal symptoms, and clinical predictors are age older than 55 years, smoking, H. pylori infection, and postprandial fullness, especially for corpus-restricted metaplastic atrophic gastritis. An accurate pre-endoscopic characterization of patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms with easily achievable clinical information may help to better address an endoscopic investigation.