Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and Autoimmune Gastritis

Abstract

The term "thyrogastric syndrome" defines the association between autoimmune thyroid disease and chronic autoimmune gastritis (CAG), and it was first described in the early 1960s. More recently, this association has been included in polyglandular autoimmune syndrome type IIIb, in which autoimmune thyroiditis represents the pivotal disorder. Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is the most frequent autoimmune disease, and it has been reported to be associated with gastric disorders in 10-40% of patients while about 40% of patients with autoimmune gastritis also present HT. Some intriguing similarities have been described about the pathogenic mechanism of these two disorders, involving a complex interaction among genetic, embryological, immunologic, and environmental factors. CAG is characterized by a partial or total disappearance of parietal cells implying the impairment of both hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor production. The clinical outcome of this gastric damage is the occurrence of a hypochlorhydric-dependent iron-deficient anemia, followed by pernicious anemia concomitant with the progression to a severe gastric atrophy. Malabsorption of levothyroxine may occur as well. We have briefly summarized in this minireview the most recent achievements on this peculiar association of diseases that, in the last years, have been increasingly diagnosed.

Keywords: Helicobacter pylori infection; cellular immunity; gastric atrophy; pernicious anemia; polyglandular autoimmune syndrome; thyroiditis; thyroxine malabsorption.