Age-Related Differences in Clinical Presentation of Autoimmune Gastritis: A Retrospective Comparative Study.

PURPOSE: This study was aimed at investigating the influence of age on patients with autoimmune gastritis (AIG).

METHODS

A total of 56 patients diagnosed with AIG at our hospital between January 2019 and December 2021 were included in this study. The participants were categorized into the elderly group (≥ 60 years old) and the nonelderly group. We analyzed the baseline characteristics, gastroscopy findings, and various laboratory examination parameters to see if age significantly influences the clinical manifestation of AIG patients.

RESULTS

During the study period, 32 and 24 patients were included in the elderly and nonelderly groups. Regarding baseline characteristics and symptoms, the nonelderly group showed a higher prevalence of acid reflux (12.5% vs. 6.3%, p < 0.05), a higher proportion of asymptomatic patients (8.3% vs. 3.1%, p = 0.046), and a higher prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (37.5% vs. 12.5%). Regarding laboratory examinations, the nonelderly group had a lower mean corpuscular volume (78.8 ± 7.9 vs. 89.2 ± 8.1 fL, p = 0.024), decreased serum ferritin levels ((24.8 ± 10.9 vs. 48.4 ± 13.1 ng/mL, p = 0.024), elevated serum vitamin B12 (92.3 ± 18.2 vs. 76.8 ± 12.9 pmol/L, p = 0.037), and a higher incidence of positive thyroid peroxidase antibody (28.2% vs. 12.5%, p = 0.024). However, the gastroscopy findings, including the incidence of proliferative polyps, neuroendocrine tumors, gastric intraepithelial neoplasia, and cancers, showed no significant difference between the two groups (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Nonelderly patients with AIG exhibit distinct clinical features compared to elderly patients. Large sample sizes with multiple centers involved in studies are required to verify our findings.