Serological comparison of serum pepsinogen and anti-parietal cell antibody levels between Japanese and German patients

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Abstract
Atrophic gastritis is more common in Japan than in Germany. The expression of anti-parietal cell antibody has been implicated in the genesis of atrophic gastritis associated with Helicobacter pylori infection. We investigated the difference in serum levels of pepsinogens and in anti-parietal cell antibody expression between Japanese and German patients. We recruited 102 Japanese and 46 German patients with dyspepsia. Endoscopic examination detected no localized lesions in the upper gastrointestinal tract of any patients. Anti-parietal cell antibody was investigated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with the purified porcine H+,K+-ATPase fraction and immunohistochemistry. H. pylori infection was diagnosed by the presence of anti-H. pylori antibody, by using the urease test and by histological examination. Serum levels of pepsinogen I and II and of gastrin were measured by a modified radioimmunoassay. Seventy-one Japanese (70%) and 17 Germans (37%) were positive for H. pylori. Serum levels of anti-parietal cell antibody were not significantly different between Japanese and Germans in both H. pylori negative and positive groups. The serum pepsinogen I/II ratio and gastrin levels were altered by H. pylori infection in both populations. Moreover, anti-parietal cell antibody levels were higher in H. pylori-positive patients with low pepsinogen levels than in those with high pepsinogen levels in both populations. The levels of anti-parietal cell antibody do not differ statistically between Japanese and Germans. Anti-parietal cell antibody might play a role in the progression of atrophic gastritis in both Japanese and German patients.