Do all the patients with gastric parietal cell antibodies have pernicious anemia?

Abstract

Objective: This study evaluated whether all the patients with serum gastric parietal cell antibody (GPCA) positivity had pernicious anemia (PA). Materials and Methods: The blood hemoglobin (Hb), iron, and vitamin B12 concentrations, and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) in 124 GPCA-positive patients were measured and compared with the corresponding data in 124 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. PA was defined by World Health Organization (WHO) as having an Hb concentration < 13 g dl-1 for men and < 12 g dl-1 for women, an MCV ≥ 100 fl, and a serum vitamin B12 level < 200 pg ml-1. Results: We found that 20, 25, and 20 GPCA-positive patients had deficiencies of Hb (men < 13 g dl-1, women < 12 g dl-1), iron (<60 μg dl-1), and vitamin B12 (<200 pg ml-1), respectively. Moreover, 16 GPCA-positive patients had abnormally high MCV (≥100 fl). GPCA-positive patients had a significantly higher frequency of Hb, iron, or vitamin B12 deficiency and of abnormally high MCV (all P-values < 0.001) than healthy controls. However, only 12.9% of 124 GPCA-positive patients were diagnosed as having PA by the WHO definition. Conclusion: Only 12.9% of GPCA-positive patients are discovered to have PA by the WHO definition. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.