Autoimmune Gastritis Is Common in Patients With Iron Deficiency: Non-Invasive Evaluation of Iron Deficiency Aside Guideline Recommendations

The study conducted a retrospective evaluation of 409 patients with iron deficiency (ID) and found a high prevalence of autoimmune gastritis (AG), which was suggested to be a common cause of ID, especially in younger patients. The analysis revealed that 17.6% of patients had increased levels of parietal-cell-antibodies, with 5.9% being strongly positive, indicating AG. The study highlighted that current guidelines for diagnosing ID should be updated to include non-invasive evaluations for AG, as it poses a risk for gastric carcinoids and adenocarcinomas. Common symptoms among patients included fatigue, attentiveness disorder, and hair loss, with restless legs syndrome being significantly more common in those with high parietal cell antibodies.