Common Pancreatic Disease

Leung, Po Sing

Pancreatitis is an inflammatory disease of the pancreas characterized by acute and chronic condition as well as varying duration and severity. Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a severe abdominal inflammation, characterized by parenchymal edema, necrosis with occasional presence of pseudocysts, abscess, hemorrhage, and inflammatory cell infiltration. Its disease spectrum varies from mild edematous to severe disease with fatal complications. Pancreatic acinar cells are very susceptible to inflammation during an episode of AP attack. It is believed that some initiating factors can lead to the premature transformation of inactive pro-proteases into active proteases within the pancreas. The active proteases degrade a number of cellular proteins such as the structural protein F-actin, thus leading to the collapse and malfunction of acinar and pancreatic damage, a process known as autodigestion of the pancreas.