Chronic atrophic gastritis is a progressive disease: analysis of medical reports from Shanghai (1985-2009).

Introduction: We aimed to examine the turnover of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) pathologically and endoscopically and explore its potential causes.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of prospective data collected from 1,592 patients who underwent gastroscopy three times or more during the period 1985-2009 at Renji Hospital, Shanghai, China. Pathological and endoscopic findings were analysed.