Autoimmune gastritis is a chronic inflammation of the stomach that is associated with a lack of gastric acid production. Stomach acid is essential for the digestion of our food. This means that if there is a lack of stomach acid, many food components are not absorbed and deficiencies can occur. Autoimmune or A-gastritis is more common in patients with thyroid disease (immunothyroiditis). One of the first symptoms of autoimmune gastritis is iron deficiency, often combined with a vitamin B12 deficiency. If the blood values show an indication of autoimmune gastritis, a gastroscopy with tissue removal (biopsy) and acid measurement (pH measurement) is indicated. Treatment is currently limited to compensating for deficiencies by means of infusions. The lack of stomach acid can be replaced by supplementation.
As no stomach acid can be produced in this disease, iron and vitamin B12 deficiency reoccurs after a certain period of time, depending on various factors such as menstruation, sport and operations. This means that patients with this disease must receive regular intravenous iron and vitamin B12. A possible causal treatment is currently being researched at Loha for Life and MedUni Vienna in cooperation with Marinomed.
