Helicobacter pylori infection is the major risk factor for atrophic gastritis.

TLDR

The study assessed whether Helicobacter pylori infection and age predict the prevalence of atrophic gastritis. The authors examined 238 adults without upper‑GI disease, obtaining biopsies from the antrum and fundus for histology and Giemsa staining, and measured serum IgG, gastrin, and pepsinogen levels. They found that atrophic gastritis was more common in Hp‑positive subjects across all ages, increased with age among Hp‑positive patients, was rare in Hp‑negative patients, and that serum gastrin rose while pepsinogen I and the PG I:II ratio fell with age only in Hp‑positive individuals, indicating that Hp infection is a stronger predictor than age.

Abstract

To evaluate the association of both Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection and advancing age with increased prevalence of atrophic gastritis.Two hundred and thirty-eight subjects who had no esophagitis, peptic ulcers, or malignancies in the upper gastrointestinal tract were divided into three groups according to age: group A, < 30 yr; group B, 30-49 yr; group C, > or = 50 yr. Two biopsy specimens were obtained from the lesser curvature of the antrum and two from the anterior and posterior walls of the fundus to assess the degree of gastritis and histological evidence of Hp infection. Hp infection was evaluated by Giemsa staining and serum IgG antibodies. Serum gastrin (SG) and pepsinogen (PG) were determined by radioimmunoassay.In all age groups, the prevalence of atrophic gastritis was significantly more common in subjects with evidence of Hp infection. In Hp-positive subjects, the prevalence of atrophic gastritis increased with advancing age. Atrophic gastritis was extremely rare, regardless of age, in Hp-uninfected patients. SG increased, and PG I and the PG I:II ratio decreased with age in Hp-positive subjects. This trend was not apparent in Hp-negative subjects.Our results suggest that Hp infection is a stronger predictor than advancing age for atrophic gastritis.