title: The time course of beta cell dysfunction in chronic ethanol-induced pancreatitis: a prospective analysis.
abstract: Insulin-glucose homeostasis was examined in 62 patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP). All patients were graded on the basis of test results from five studies: (1) endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, (2) fat-stimulated release of pancreatic polypeptide (PP), (3) NBT-bentiromide PABA test, (4) 72-hour fecal fat test, and (5) oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Patients with CP were graded as either mild/moderate or severe by means of a scoring system that we devised and have previously reported. Nineteen patients were graded as mild/moderate and 43 patients were graded as severe. The endocrine function of non-beta and beta islet cells was compared by assessing release of PP after fat and by release of insulin during OGTT. Release of PP was depressed in 58%, and the depressed output was found in only patients with a severe grade of CP. Forty-four of 62 patients (71%) with CP had abnormal OGTT findings; the distribution of this abnormality was not greatly different between mild/moderate and severe grades. Depressed release of insulin was seen in 58% (36 of 62)--more commonly in patients with a severe grade (10%) but also in 32% of patients with a mild/moderate grade. A subset of patients with CP sustains early beta-cell dysfunction. We conclude that decreased output of PP is a more reliable measure of functional deficit and stage in CP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77550.
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Nealon
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Townsend
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose / Q000502:physiology*; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010191:Pancreatic Polypeptide / Q000378:metabolism; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D000431:Ethanol; D010191:Pancreatic Polypeptide; D005947:Glucose