Fact CheckerSign in

NCT06881511Recruiting

Exploratory Study on the Efficacy of Betaine Hydrochloride in Treating Autoimmune Gastritis

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 30 Mar 2025 · Not updated for over 12 months - ask the site whether it is still open

Brief summary (registry, in English)

Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by parietal cell destruction and oxyntic mucosal atrophy, leading to achlorhydria and intrinsic factor deficiency. These pathological changes impair iron and vitamin B12 absorption, resulting in iron-deficiency anemia, pernicious anemia, and neuropsychiatric manifestations. Notably, 4-12% of AIG patients develop type 1 gastric neuroendocrine tumors, while facing a 3-7 fold increased risk of gastric adenocarcinoma with an incidence of 0.9-9%. Current management of AIG is limited to iron and vitamin B12 replacement, as no disease-modifying therapies exist. The progressive hypochlorhydria reduces pepsin activity, impairs gastric motility, and promotes small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), causing dyspeptic symptoms and micronutrient malabsorption. Furthermore, gastric hypoacidity increases N-nitroso compound formation and triggers hypergastrinemia, elevating risks for both gastric cancer and neuroendocrine tumors. This clinical trial investigates whether betaine hydrochloride (with pepsin) supplementation can restore gastric acidity and improve clinical outcomes in AIG. We will evaluate its effects on gastrin levels, gastrointestinal symptoms, exhaled gas markers (NO, H₂S, H₂, CH₄), anemia parameters, endoscopic atrophy scores, and incidence of gastric complications (hyperplastic polyps, neuroendocrine tumors, and adenocarcinoma). The study aims to provide evidence for a potential therapeutic strategy addressing both symptoms and long-term complications of AIG.

Status (registry)
Recruiting
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
100 (estimated)
First submitted
12 Mar 2025
Start date
3 Jan 2025
Primary completion date
30 Jun 2026
Lead sponsor
Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, School of Medicine
NCT number
NCT06881511

What you commit to

  • Study type: Interventional
  • Planned participants: 100
  • From 3 Jan 2025 to the primary completion date, 30 Jun 2026
  • 1 site in 1 country
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Other illness

  • Patients allergic to betaine hydrochloride;
  • Patients with any condition other than autoimmune gastritis that causes elevated gastrin levels (e.g., gastrinoma);

Other

  • Patients with peptic ulcers;
  • Patients who refuse to sign the informed consent form.

Who the study is looking for

  • Patients diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, with the diagnostic criteria for autoimmune gastritis based on the article "A real-world study on the characteristics of autoimmune gastritis: A single-center retrospective cohort in China" published by our team in the journal Clinics and Research in Hepatology and Gastroenterology;
  • Gastrin levels greater than 300 pmol/L or a history of type 1 gastric neuroendocrine tumors or early gastric cancer treated with endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD);
  • Age between 18 and 80 years;
  • Patients who have signed the informed consent form for the clinical trial.

Age in the registry: 18 years to 80 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (1)

Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.

SiteCityCountrySite status
The Second Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
HangzhouChinaRecruiting

This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.