title: Impaired fecal elastase excretion in uremic pancreopathy.
abstract: To evaluate pancreatic exocrine function in uremia, 25 patients undergoing regular hemodialysis without clinical evidence of pancreatic disease and 25 healthy control subjects were studied by fecal elastase 1 and chymotrypsin. Abdominal ultrasonography and measurement of serum lipase, calcium, phosphate, and parathormone were also carried out. Fecal elastase was significantly lower (P < 0.001) in patients than in controls. Abnormally low values were found in 12/25 patients of whom six had values <100 microg/g. Fecal chymotrypsin was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in patients than in controls, with lower than normal values found in 10/25 patients. Fecal elastase was not related to the serum calcium, phosphate, or parathormone levels or to the period of dialysis. In patients serum lipase was normal or slightly elevated (<300 units/liter), and there was no evidence of pancreatic disease at ultrasound examination. The results lend further support to the existence of pancreatic function impairment in a significant number of patients with renal failure despite the absence of clinical and morphological evidence of pancreatic disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ventrucci
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cipolla
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Middonno
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Racchini
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simoni
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Afandi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grammatico
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Campieri
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002918:Chymotrypsin / Q000032:analysis; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase / Q000032:analysis*; D010186:Pancreatic Function Tests; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012016:Reference Values; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D014511:Uremia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D002918:Chymotrypsin; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase