Total and acyl plasma ghrelin levels of patients with closed-type atrophic gastritis were higher than those of patients with open-type atrophic gastritis before treatment (total ghrelin: mean, 72.3 ± 30.8 vs. 31.7 ± 14.4 fmol/ml, respectively, p < .01; acyl ghrelin: mean 15.0 ± 11.1 vs. 5.2 ± 3.2 fmol/ml, respectively, p = .05). The gene discussed is GHRL; the disease is chronic atrophic gastritis.