Autoimmune Gastritis and Parietal Cell Reactivity in Two Children with Abnormal Intestinal Permeability

In 2008, a study investigated two prepubertal children diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis, a condition more commonly seen in the elderly, characterized by the immune system attacking gastric parietal cells. One child had the condition as part of a polyglandular autoimmune syndrome, while the other developed it alongside a thyro-gastric cluster, possibly triggered by emotional trauma. Both children exhibited abnormal intestinal permeability, which improved over time, and had normal small bowel biopsies, ruling out coeliac disease. Their serum showed reactivity to parietal cell autoantigens ATP4A and ATP4B. The study concluded that pediatric patients with autoimmune diseases should be screened for other co-existing conditions and that further research into the genetic and pathogenic aspects of autoimmune gastritis could be beneficial.