title: Value of serum PABA as a pancreatic function test.
abstract: In a total of 71 subjects (19 controls, 24 patients with non-pancreatic gastrointestinal disease, and 27 patients with pancreatic disease) an oral pancreatic function test using N-benzoyl-L-tyrosyl-PABA (BT-PABA) was performed with simultaneous determination of the serum para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA). Urinary excretion of PABA was significantly less (p less than 0.001) in patients with chronic pancreatitis (n = 12) and pancreatic carcinoma (n = 10) than in controls and in patients with non-pancreatic disease. The serum concentration curve in patients with chronic pancreatitis was significantly flattened (p less than 0.001) compared with that of the control group and the patients with non-pancreatic gastrointestinal disease. The discrimination between the controls and the patients with chronic pancreatitis was best at 120 minutes after administration of BT-PABA (lower limit of normal: 2.8 micrograms/ml). The results of our study show that determination of PABA serum concentration two hours after administration of BT-PABA is as valuable an index of pancreatic function as the urinary excretion of PABA.
mesh_terms: D010129:4-Aminobenzoic Acid / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine; D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D062365:Aminobenzoates / Q000097:blood*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010186:Pancreatic Function Tests / Q000379:methods*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000097:blood; D062366:para-Aminobenzoates
chemical_list: D062365:Aminobenzoates; D062366:para-Aminobenzoates; C006717:bentiromide; D010129:4-Aminobenzoic Acid