image by: HWN

HWN Suggests

Autoimmune gastritis: everything you need to know

Here's a surprise: autoimmune gastritis often gives no stomach symptoms. In fact, it's frequently found by chance on a routine blood test, when iron or B12 come back low. The first sign is usually an iron-deficiency anemia, because iron is absorbed less well without acid; this iron-deficiency anemia appears years before the B12 one, since the liver keeps large stores of the vitamin. Vitamin B12 deficiency is the classic complication and arrives later (it can take 10-12 years). It produces an anemia with large red cells (macrocytic) and, if prolonged, neurological symptoms: the most common at first are tingling (paresthesias), present in around 70% of cases, and in advanced stages, balance…

read full article

Featured

 Autoimmune Gastritis: An Evolving Entity

Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) has long occupied an awkward place in clinical practice. For most of the 21th century, it was viewed mainly through its hematologic endpoint—pernicious anemia—and seen as a rare, late diagnosis of limited relevance to the endoscopist. That perception has changed. AIG is now found earlier and more often, frequently in patients who have no symptoms or who present only with iron-deficiency anemia, and it is increasingly recognized as a corpus-restricted gastric disease with meaningful neoplastic implications.

 Creating a Framework for Treating Autoimmune Gastritis—The Case for Replacing Lost Acid

Autoimmune gastritis is not a gastritis that needs acid suppression; rather, it may benefit from acid supplementation. The loss of stomach acid in AIG precedes nutrient deficiencies by several years. Hypochlorhydria affects digestion, micronutrient absorption, risk factors for benign and perhaps malignant diseases, as well as a range of gastrointestinal complications. Betaine hydrochloride is a simple and readily available encapsulated form of acidification.

 What Bryan Johnson's Diagnosis Teaches Us About Living Longer, According to a Longevity Doctor

Bryan Johnson, the "longevity guru," has spent more than $2 million on a quest to stay young. On June 30, 2026, he disclosed that he has an autoimmune disease that causes the stomach to eat itself. As a practicing physician who helps patients live longer, believe me when I say: you absolutely don't need extreme measures to live a healthy life. Here's what actually works.

Articles of Interest

Autoimmune gastritis

Autoimmune gastritis is a chronic inflammatory disease with destruction of parietal cells of the corpus and fundus of the stomach. The known consequence is vitamin B12 deficiency and, consequently, pernicious anemia. However, loss of parietal cells reduces secretion of gastric acid which is also required for absorption of inorganic iron; thus, iron deficiency is commonly found in patients with autoimmune gastritis. This usually precedes vitamin B12 deficiency and is found mainly in young women. Patients with chronic iron deficiency, especially those refractory to oral iron therapy, should therefore be evaluated for the presence of autoimmune gastritis.

Autoimmune Gastritis and Gastric Microbiota

Autoimmune atrophic gastritis (AIG) is a relatively frequent and often undiagnosed disorder with important and potentially life-threatening consequences from a clinical point of view, ranging from micronutrient deficiencies and severe anemia to such neoplastic complications as gastric cancer and gastric type 1 neuroendocrine tumors.

Autoimmune gastritis, with or without pernicious anemia: epidemiology, risk factors, and clinical management

Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is a chronic immune-mediated, inflammatory condition that involves the destruction of the gastric oxyntic mucosa through the autoimmune-mediated loss of parietal cells, with replacement by atrophic and metaplastic tissue. Diagnosing AIG is important, given the need for ongoing clinical management and vigilance with respect to downstream complications, the most serious of which is gastric adenocarcinoma.

Autoimmune gastritis: a comprehensive review of pathophysiology, risk stratification, and management

Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is a chronic, organ-specific autoimmune disease characterized by the immune-mediated destruction of gastric parietal cells, leading to impaired acid secretion, vitamin B12 deficiency, and an increased risk of gastric malignancies. The diagnosis of AIG relies on endoscopic findings combined with serological markers and histopathological confirmation.

Autoimmune Gastritis: A Silent Yet Highly Prevalent Condition

Amidst the hum of digestion, a silent assailant known as autoimmune gastritis can wreak havoc without sounding alarm bells until it’s too late. Autoimmune gastritis is a silent yet highly prevalent condition that many people don’t even know exists.

Autoimmune gastritis: historical antecedents, outstanding discoveries, and unresolved problems

The earliest recorded history of autoimmune gastritis can be traced to 1849 in London, when Thomas Addison described "a very remarkable form of anemia" later called pernicious (fatal) anemia (PA). This was followed by the recognition of a gastric mucosal defect suspected to have a nutritional basis, the discovery of the megaloblast that characterized the anemia, the insufficiency of a dietary extrinsic factor characterized as vitamin B12 (cobalamin), and a gastric-secreted intrinsic factor.

Autoimmune Gastritis: Update and New Perspectives in Therapeutic Management

Diagnosis of autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is often delayed because of the absence of typical symptoms. Clinical guidelines are lacking which results in inadequate treatment and poor cancer screening. This review presents an overview of current management options and aims at raising awareness for this often-neglected disease.

Living with Autoimmune Gastritis: What You Need to Know

While our understanding of and treatment for this complex disease is improving, there remains much to learn. Researchers are studying new therapies to reduce stomach inflammation, prevent the development of, and reduce the progression of atrophy in autoimmune gastritis. Research is also exploring how to reduce the occurrence of and identify associated stomach cancer earlier

Unraveling the Mysteries of Autoimmune Gastritis

Autoimmune gastritis is an immune-mediated disease characterized by the destruction of parietal cells and atrophy of the oxyntic mucosa due to anti-parietal cell antibodies. It may lead to serious conditions including iron/vitamin B12 and micronutrient deficiencies, neurological disorders, and gastric malignancies. The exact mechanism of this disease is not exactly understood; however, dysregulated immunological mechanisms appear to be major contributors. Patients with this disease are often asymptomatic but may present with gastrointestinal symptoms and/or iron/vitamin B12 deficiencies.