Mid- and Deep-Zone Gastritis: A Histologic Pattern Associated With Autoimmune Disease but Distinct From Autoimmune...

We sought to characterize a histologic pattern of mid- and deep-zone gastritis, distinct from the typical pattern of Helicobacter pylori or autoimmune gastritis and to see if it had any clinicopathologic association(s).

We analyzed inflammatory patterns and composition, excluded autoimmune gastritis using immunohistochemistry, and reviewed the medical record for demographics, medical/surgical history, presenting symptoms, endoscopic findings, and medications for 28 cases.

All cases had inflammation in the middle and/or deep mucosal zones with sparing of the superficial/pit compartment. Subfeatures included corpus or antral predominance, pangastric involvement, prominence of a subset(s) of inflammatory cells, and degree of epithelial injury. Of 28 patients, 13 had autoimmune disease(s), autoantibodies, or both. There was no other unifying clinical feature.

This unique pattern of gastritis should be distinguished from other entities such as H pylori and autoimmune gastritis. At least a subset may be an autoimmune condition different from classic autoimmune gastritis.