title: Pharmacological prevention and treatment of acute pancreatitis: where are we now?
abstract: Acute pancreatitis is a disease of increasing prevalence, unchanged mortality over many decades, and limited treatment strategies. Progress has been made in developing therapies that reduce the rate of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-associated pancreatitis and in preventing infected pancreatic necrosis with intravenous carbapenems. Attempts at reducing pancreatic enzyme output or inhibiting the activity of digestive enzyme proteases have not yielded encouraging results - nor have anti-inflammatory strategies for the treatment of acute pancreatitis been found to be effective so far. Future therapeutic options that are presently being developed or under investigation attempt to restore pancreatic secretory function, interfere with inflammatory pathways in a more effective manner, or inhibit digestive enzyme proteases more selectively.
authors.affiliation: Clinic for General Internal Medicine, Centre of Medicine, Municipal Clinic of Luneburg, Luneburg, Germany. paulgeorg.lankisch@klinikum-lueneburg.de
authors.forename: Paul Georg
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Lankisch
authors.forename: Markus M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Lerch
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D019283:Pancreatitis, Acute Necrotizing / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants