Pancreatic involvement in chronic viral hepatitis.
OBJECTIVE
To elucidate the frequency and characteristics of pancreatic disorders in the course of chronic viral hepatitis.


METHODS
We prospectively assessed the serum pancreatic enzyme levels and imaging findings in patients with chronic viral hepatitis and healthy control subjects.


RESULTS
Serum amylase (t-Amy), salivary amylase (s-Amy), pancreatic amylase (p-Amy) and serum lipase levels were higher in hepatitis patients in comparison to control subjects. However, in asymptomatic viral carriers, only the serum t-Amy levels were higher than those of the controls. The levels of each enzyme rose with the progression of liver disease in patients with hepatitis B or C; whereas the levels of each enzyme within the same clinical stage of the disease did not differ between patients diagnosed with either hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus. Imaging findings demonstrated chronic pancreatitis in only 1 out of 202 patients (0.5%).


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that serum levels of pancreatic enzymes increase with the progression of liver disease in patients diagnosed with viral hepatitis. Pancreatic disease, asymptomatic in most cases, may represent an extrahepatic manifestation of chronic viral hepatitis.
Katakura
Yoshiki
Y
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, 2-16-1, Sugao, Miyamae-ku, Kawasaki 216-8511, Japan.
Yotsuyanagi
Hiroshi
H
Hashizume
Kiyoe
K
Okuse
Chiaki
C
Okuse
Noriaki
N
Nishikawa
Kohji
K
Suzuki
Michihiro
M
Iino
Shiro
S
Itoh
Fumio
F
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000681:Amylases / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000201:enzymology*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D008049:Lipase / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010179:Pancreas / Q000201:enzymology*; D012016:Reference Values
D008049:Lipase; D000681:Amylases