No abstract

Identification by serology of asymptomatic patients with advanced GBA in primary care is adequately possible and useful in selecting for endoscopy.

SUMMARYBackground 13 Carbon urea breath testing is reliable to detect current infection with Helicobacter pylori but has been reported to be of limited value in selected patients with atrophic body gastritis or acid-lowering medication.

The seroprevalence of atrophic corpus gastritis in this primary care community is 3.4%. When compared with controls, the approximate relative risk of having atrophic corpus gastritis was significantly higher (P < 0.025) for antibodies to parietal cells (24.0) than to H. pylori (1.62). In view of the decreasing risk of H. pylori infection in the western world, it is likely that the impact of H. pylori on the development of atrophic corpus gastritis will further diminish.