Endoscopic therapy of chronic pancreatitis
Journal | Volume 66 - 2003 |
Issue | Fasc.2 - Symposium |
Author(s) | Jacques Devière |
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Hôpital Erasme, Service de Gastro-entérologie, Bruxelles, Belgium. |
Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a rare disease in western countries (incidence 2-10/100.000/year). It ultimately leads to irreversible damage of the pancreas with exocri- ne and endocrine insufficiency. Pain is the major clinical symptom and is present early in the course of the disea- se in most of the cases (1-3). With the exception of the rare hereditary CP which is associated with a mutation in the cationic trypsinogen gene on chromosome 7 (4,5), the etiology of CP has not already been demonstrated. Chronic alcoholism is a pre- cipitating factor and it dramatically increases the proba- bility of CP development but the disease can develop in non-alcoholic subjects and is then qualified of "idio- pathic" CP. |
© Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica. |