Theory and practice in the individualization of oral pancreatic enzyme administration for chronic pancreatitis.

Department of Surgery, Lund University, Sweden.

Pancreatic enzyme therapy may be beneficial to all patients with chronic pancreatitis, even those in whom the condition is very mild. The goal of enzyme therapy should be to restore normal gastrointestinal physiology as completely as possible. Monitoring of body weight is recommended as the main measure of treatment efficacy. Most pancreatic enzyme preparations presently employed are porcine in origin and must meet certain standards of quality for human consumption. The amount of active lipase in the duodenum determines the quantity of enzymes to be given. An appropriate diet is also important for relieving symptoms of pancreatic insufficiency and improving nutritional status. Although administration of large amounts of proteases has provided pain relief in some patients, the rationale for using enzymes to relieve pain in chronic pancreatitis has not been generally accepted. Gastric acid plays a role in malabsorption, since administered enzymes may be destroyed by gastric acid. Also, acidic conditions in the duodenum decrease the efficacy of pancreatic enzymes administered with meals. Histamine-H2-receptor antagonists may decrease gastric acidity but there are certain drawbacks to long-term use of these agents. The use of enteric-coated microspheres overcomes many of the problems associated with enzyme destruction. Patients with chronic pancreatitis display considerable individual variation in their treatment requirements. Therapy must be tailored to meet the need for adequate disease control as well as for social and emotional acceptability by the patient. The attending physician and the patient share the responsibility for maintaining appropriate therapy.

PMID: 2702251 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]