The public announcement that longevity entrepreneur Bryan Johnson has autoimmune gastritis has drawn attention to how difficult it is to diagnose and treat this chronic inflammatory condition.

長壽企業家 Bryan Johnson 公開表示自己患有自動免疫性胃炎，引起了人們對於診斷與治療這種慢性炎症疾病之困難程度的關注。

Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) occurs when the immune system attacks the cells in the stomach that produce acid. This process prevents the body from absorbing essential nutrients, such as iron, calcium, and vitamins B12 and C. Approximately 4% of the global population is affected by this condition. However, AIG is often missed because the symptoms are not always related to the stomach; instead, patients may experience fatigue or memory problems. Consequently, doctors might wrongly assume that iron deficiency is caused by other factors, such as anemia, and fail to perform the necessary biopsies to confirm the diagnosis.

自動免疫性胃炎 (AIG) 發生於免疫系統攻擊胃部產生胃酸的細胞。這個過程會阻礙身體吸收必需的營養素，例如鐵、鈣，以及維生素 B12 和 C。全球約有 4% 的人口受此疾病影響。然而，AIG 經常被漏診，因為症狀並不一定與胃部相關；相反地，患者可能會感到疲勞或出現記憶問題。因此，醫生可能會錯誤地認為缺鐵是由其他因素（如貧血）引起，而未能進行必要的切片檢查以確認診斷。

Medical experts emphasize that current treatments are limited. Most standard care focuses on replacing missing nutrients through supplements or intravenous drips. Furthermore, the lack of stomach acid can lead to a hormonal imbalance that increases the risk of developing certain stomach tumors. While some patients use supplements to mimic stomach acid, there is little clinical evidence that this works. Researchers are currently exploring advanced options like stem cell therapy, although these treatments are still in the early experimental stages.

醫療專家強調，目前的治療手段相當有限。大多數的標準護理側重於透過補充劑或靜脈注射來補充缺失的營養素。此外，缺乏胃酸可能導致荷爾蒙失衡，進而增加發展特定胃臟腫瘤的風險。雖然部分患者使用補充劑來模擬胃酸，但缺乏臨床證據證明此方法有效。研究人員目前正在探索如幹細胞治療等先進選項，儘管這些治療仍處於早期實驗階段。

Finally, this case highlights a gap between expensive 'biohacking' and standard medical care. Despite spending a lot of money on health optimization, Johnson reported a delay in getting a routine colonoscopy. This suggests that personalized health plans can sometimes ignore basic clinical guidelines. Additionally, while Johnson believes his childhood diet may have caused the condition, doctors assert that AIG is more likely caused by a combination of genetics and environmental factors.

最後，這個案例凸顯了昂貴的「生物黑客 (biohacking)」與標準醫療護理之間的差距。儘管在健康優化上投入大量金錢，Johnson 仍表示在進行例行大腸鏡檢查時有所延遲。這表明個人化健康計劃有時會忽略基本的臨床指引。此外，雖然 Johnson 認為其童年飲食可能是致病原因，但醫生斷定 AIG 更有可能是由基因與環境因素共同導致的。

Autoimmune gastritis remains a challenging condition to diagnose with few cures, meaning patients must rely on nutrient supplements and regular cancer screenings.

自動免疫性胃炎仍然是一種診斷困難且缺乏治癒方法的疾病，這意味著患者必須依賴營養補充劑與定期的癌症篩檢。