Diagnostic value of a serum four-biomarker panel for atrophic gastritis in women under 60 years of age

Background While endoscopy is considered the gold standard for diagnosing chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG), serum biomarkers such as pepsinogen I (PG1), pepsinogen Ⅱ (PG2), the PGⅠ/PGⅡ ratio, and gastrin-17 (G-17) have been investigated for their diagnostic value in CAG. However, studies to date have reported inconsistent results regarding their accuracy and clinical utility. Methods All 567 participants underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and serum biomarkers were examined for PG1, PG2 and G-17 using Gastric Function Triple-Parameter test kit (Biohan Biotechnology Co., Ltd). The general characteristics of the participants were derived from the physical examination data from Qilu Hospital of Shandong University. Results Age was identified as a risk factor of CAG ( p = 0.01). By incorporating sex and age as covariates into the ROC curve analysis, The serum gastric function biomarkers could serve as diagnostic tools for AG, particularly among female under 60 years old. Within this subgroup, a PG2 cut-off value of ≥6.145 μg/L (AUC = 0.807, sensitivity = 0.762, specificity = 0.800) and a PG1/PG2 ratio cut-off of ≤20.67 (AUC = 0.806, sensitivity = 0.762, specificity = 0.722) showed the strongest discriminatory performance for diagnosing CAG. Meanwhile, PG1 and the PG1/PG2 ratio were significantly associated with the severity of inflammation ( p = 0.002 and 0.008, respectively). Conclusions Serum gastric function biomarkers could serve as diagnostic tools for AG, particularly among female patients under 60 years old of age. Meanwhile, PG1 and the PG1/PG2 ratio were significantly associated with the severity of inflammation.