Antiparietal Cell Antibody (APCA)

Detection of gastric parietal cell antibodies of the IgG class in human sera. Autoantibodies to gastric parietal cells are found in approximately 90% of patients with pernicious anemia and in about 30% of first degree relatives of patients with pernicious anemia. Increased levels of gastric parietal cells have been found in patients with thyroid disease, iron deficiency anemia, alopecia areata, and vitiligo.

The presence of immune complexes in a patient's sample may cause an elevated level of nonspecific binding and produce false-positive results. Assay performance has not been established for pediatric patients.