Skip to main navigation Skip to main content Skip to page footer

Autoimmune gastritis/ pernicious anaemia

Clinical information

Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is a chronic inflammation of the mucous membranes that interferes with the absorption of iron and vitamin B12 and can lead to atrophic gastritis with malabsorption. The gastric mucosa is infiltrated by lymphocytes, plasma cells and granulocytes, the epithelial cells are necrotic and the main and parietal cells are replaced by mucoid cells. The final stage is atrophy, which develops over many years. AIG therefore leads to reduced production of pepsin, hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor (IF). Over the years, the vitamin B12 deficiency develops into pernicious anaemia (PA). In most patients AIG progresses asymptomatically over many years until they reach the advanced stage of atrophy. Symptoms of PA are anaemia, fatigue, drowsiness and tachycardia. Vitamin B12 deficiency also inhibits DNA synthesis, leading to the development of megaloblasts, e. g. in the bone marrow and gastrointestinal epithelium. This results in malabsorption and diarrhoea with weight loss, anorexia, glossitis, jaundice and neurological abnormalities.

Diagnostics

AIG is characterised by the presence of autoantibodies against parietal cell antigens (APCA) and IF. The latter is a glycoprotein that is secreted by parietal cells. IF forms complexes with vitamin B12, the absorption of which in the ileum is impaired by anti-intrinsic factor antibodies (IFA). Sera from AIG and PA patients contain two types of IFA (both IgG): type 1 IFA react with the vitamin B12 binding site of IF, whereas type 2 IFA inhibit the binding of IF to the receptors in the ileum. IFA are characterised by a very high specificity for AIG. In PA, depending on the duration of the disease, IFA occur in 40 % to 80 % of patients.  

APCA can be detected in both AIG and PA patients. They are mainly of the IgG and IgA classes. The prevalence of APCA is very high – close to 100 % – in almost all patients with chronic atrophic gastritis. At the time of diagnosis, APCA also have a very high diagnostic specificity for PA of 80 % to 90 %. As the disease progresses, their prevalence continues to decrease because of the progressive destruction of parietal cells. With regard to the specificity of APCA, it should be noted that they can also be detected in patients with endocrinopathies and in healthy blood donors.  

As a new antigen for the highly specific determination of APCA, EUROIMMUN has developed the recombinant ATP4B antigen. ATP4B stands for the extracellular domain of the β subunit of H+/ K+ ATPase and is the main antigen of APCA. The Anti-ATP4B ELISA (IgG) thus offers significantly improved specificity without loss of sensitivity compared to the Anti-PCA ELISA (IgG).

Methods
Technology Parameter Substrate Species Calibration Ig Class Format Order No.
EUROLINE EUROLINE Autoimmune Gastrointestinal Diseases (IgA)
(tissue transglutaminase (endomysium), gliadin-analogue
fusion peptide (GAF-3X), mannan (ASCA))
EUROLINE IgA
IgA
IgA
05 x 10
16 x 01
64 x 01
DL 1360-0510 A
DL 1360-1601 A
DL 1360-6401 A
EUROLINE EUROLINE Autoimmune Gastrointestinal Diseases (IgG)
(tissue transglutaminase (endomysium),
gliadin-analogue fusion peptide (GAF-3X),
parietal cell antigen (PCA) separately
Intrinsic factor, mannan (ASCA))
EUROLINE IgG
IgG
IgG
16 x 01
50 x 01
64 x 01
DL 1360-1601 G
DL 1360-5001 G
DL 1360-6401 G
IIFT antibodies against parietal cells
(PCA control)
IgG 05 x 02
CA 1361-0502
IIFT antibodies against parietal cells + intrinsic factor
(PCA + intrinsic factor ab control)
IgG 05 x 02
CA 1363-0502
IIFT parietal cells
(PCA)
stomach monkey IgG
IgG
IgG
IgG
10 x 05
10 x 10
20 x 05
20 x 10
10 x 05
10 x 10
20 x 05
20 x 10
FA 1360-1005
FA 1360-1010
FA 1360-2005
FA 1360-2010
FB 1360-1005
FB 1360-1010
FB 1360-2005
FB 1360-2010
IIFT intrinsic factor intrinsic factor BIOCHIPs IgG 10 x 05
10 x 05
FA 1362-1005
FB 1362-1005
IIFT EUROPLUS
parietal cells (PCA)
intrinsic factor
2 BIOCHIPs per field:
stomach
intrinsic factor BIOCHIPs

monkey
IgG
IgG
IgG
10 x 05
10 x 10
20 x 05
10 x 05
10 x 10
20 x 05
FA 1362-1005-1
FA 1362-1010-1
FA 1362-2005-1
FB 1362-1005-1
FB 1362-1010-1
FB 1362-2005-1
IIFT Anti-Parietal cells (SM) IIFT EUROPattern stomach monkey IgG
IgG
20 x 05
20 x 10
FC 1360-2005
FC 1360-2010
ELISA Anti-PCA ELISA (IgG)
parietal cells
antigen-coated
microplate wells
native, H+/K+ ATPase,
porcine gastric mucosa
2/20/200 RU/ml IgG 96 x 01
EA 1361-9601 G
ELISA Anti-ATP4B ELISA (IgG) antigen-coated
microplate wells
2/20/200 RU/ml IgG 96 x 01
EA 1361-9601-1 G
ELISA Anti-Intrinsic Factor ELISA (IgG) antigen-coated
microplate wells
native, porcine
gastric mucosa
2/20/200 RU/ml IgG 96 x 01
EA 1362-9601 G
* For research use only, not for in vitro diagnostic use in the sense of EU directive 98/79/EC.
1 Product manufactured by third party. Please contact your local Euroimmun representative for more information.