The Diagnostic Significance of the Parietal Cell Immunofluorescent Test

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Abstract
It has been suggested that the parietal cell immunofluorescent test, which is believed to reflect chronic atrophic gastritis, may be of clinical value in the differential diagnosis of anemias and as a screening test for groups of patients with a high incidence of pernicious anemia. The test was done on patients with pernicious anemia, thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, subtotal gastrectomy, Whipple''s disease, nutritional macrocytic anemia, non-macrocytic anemia, diabetes mellitus and miscellaneous conditions in an effort to determine its diagnostic significance. One patient with diabetes mellitus, a normal blood count and a positive test was found on further study to have pernicious anemia, demonstrating its value as a screening procedure. Even though the test was negative in all anemias with the exception of pernicious anemia in this series, it is thought to be of limited value in the diagnosis of anemias, since it is not positive in all pernicious anemia cases and may be positive in other anemias with coincidental atrophic gastritis. It is suggested that its primary clinical use will prove to be in the detection of chronic atrophic gastritis in an early asymptomatic stage.

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