2023 Volume 65 Issue 2 Pages 173-182
The “Study Group on the Establishment of Diagnostic Criteria for Type A Gastritis” of the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society has proposed new diagnostic criteria for autoimmune gastritis (AIG; type A gastritis).
The diagnostic criteria are: “either endoscopic or histological findings, or both, meet the requirements for AIG, and are positive for gastric autoantibodies (anti-parietal cell antibodies or anti-intrinsic factor antibodies, or both).”
AIG has been underdiagnosed in the past. The newly proposed diagnostic criteria will allow more frequent and early diagnosis of AIG. It would allow patients to be stratified into various high-risk groups, such as gastric tumors and pernicious anemia. With new diagnostic criteria, it would be possible to establish an appropriate surveillance system in the future. There are still issues to be addressed, like establishing endoscopic findings for early-stage AIG and obtaining insurance coverage for gastric autoantibodies.
