The Sydney System: auto-immune gastritis.

The association of gastric auto-immunity with chronic gastritis has been recognized for more than 30 years. Despite this, little is known about the initiation of auto-immune gastric mucosal injury or the role of gastric auto-antibodies in this disease process. The current review describes recent progress in our understanding of these fundamental questions on the origin and progression of auto-immune gastritis. In addition, evidence is presented (epidemiologic, clinical, pathologic and experimental) that strongly supports the view that auto-immune gastritis is a distinctive category of chronic gastritis with significant long-term sequelae.