Gastritis Prevalence and Characteristics

Types of Gastritis and Their Prevalence

Atrophic gastritis affects up to 15% of the US population, with potentially higher rates in specific populations with increased H. pylori prevalence or gastric cancer risk 1
H. pylori-associated gastritis is the most common form of atrophic gastritis 1, 2
The rate ratio of atrophic gastritis incidence in patients with vs. without H. pylori infection is 5.0 (95% CI, 3.1–8.3) 1
Autoimmune gastritis is significantly less common than H. pylori-associated gastritis, with a prevalence estimated at 0.5-2% of the population 1, 2
The prevalence of autoimmune gastritis increases with age and presence of other autoimmune diseases 1
Up to one-third of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease have autoimmune gastritis 1, 3
Women have a higher prevalence of autoimmune gastritis compared to men 1
Pernicious anemia, a late-stage complication of autoimmune gastritis, has an estimated prevalence of 0.15-1% 1

Atrophic gastritis may be more prevalent in specific populations with higher baseline H. pylori prevalence 1
Non-White racial/ethnic minority groups and early-generation immigrants from high-risk countries have higher rates of atrophic gastritis 1
In contrast to H. pylori-associated gastritis, racial and ethnic variation is not prominent in autoimmune gastritis 1

Gastritis is typically asymptomatic and may go undiagnosed, or present with nonspecific symptoms that occur later in the disease course 1, 4
Common symptoms include epigastric pain/discomfort, nausea, vomiting, early satiety, bloating, and heartburn 4
Inconsistent reporting of atrophic gastritis on histopathology contributes to underdiagnosis 1

Atrophic gastritis is associated with increased risk of gastric adenocarcinoma (0.1-0.3% per year) 1, 2
Patients with chronic atrophic gastritis, particularly autoimmune gastritis, are at increased risk of type I gastric neuroendocrine tumors (0.4-0.7% per year) 1, 2
Risk factors for non-autoimmune atrophic gastritis include age, tobacco use, high-salt diet, and possibly chronic bile acid reflux 1