title: [Acute pancreatitis--etiology, pathological anatomy and pathogenesis].
abstract: Acute pancreatitis is a disease characterized by abdominal pain, low-grade fever, abdominal tenderness and rigidity, and moderate elevation of the white blood cell count. A widely used revised classification of pancreatitis is that proposed in 1984 at Marseille. It only distinguishes between acute and chronic pancreatitis. In 61 cases were 40 men and 21 women. The mean age in the total series was 52.5 years. The etiology of the acute condition was alcoholism in 32.8% and biliary tract disease in 23%. In 9.8% the acute pancreatitis is associated with alimentary tract diseases (adipositas, hyperlipidemia). The severity of acute pancreatitis is pathological anatomy determined by three stages. In pathogenesis the process of digestion is caused by activated pancreatic enzyme with acinar cell injury. The acinar cell is normally protected from the action of its own enzymes by elaborate intracellular compartmentation of enzymes. Acute pancreatitis is triggered by pancreatic phospholipase A leading to necrosis of lipolytically active fat cells with release of membrane-toxic fatty acids with following destruction of adjacent tissue. Fat necrosis initiates an acute inflammatory reaction with immigration of granulocytes and liberation of kinins, which activate pancreatic enzyme. Pancreatic enzymes are similar to lysosomal enzymes with regard to substrate specificity. Activation will be also triggered by lysosomal enzymes of necrotic acinar cells.
authors: Institut für Pathologische Anatomie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.
authors: H J
authors: HJ
authors: Schulz
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Schulz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications; D001660:Biliary Tract Diseases / Q000150:complications; D004066:Digestive System Diseases / Q000150:complications; D005218:Fat Necrosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D010741:Phospholipases A / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010741:Phospholipases A
vernacular_title: Akute Pankreatitis--Atiologie, pathologische Anatomie und Pathogenese.