Fatty acid composition of plasma lipid classes in chronic alcoholic pancreatitis.
OBJECTIVE
Supplementation of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) is considered as adjuvant therapy in acute pancreatitis. We investigated plasma fatty acid status in chronic pancreatitis (CP).


METHODS
Patients with alcoholic CP (n = 56, gender: 33/23 male/female, age: 60.0 [14.0] years (median [IQR]), who reported giving up alcohol consumption several years ago and 51 control subjects were included into the study. The fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids (PL), triacylglycerols (TG) and sterol esters (STE) was analyzed.


RESULTS
The sum of monounsaturated fatty acids was significantly higher in patients with CP than in controls (PL: 12.83 [3.35] vs. 12.20 [1.95], TG: 40.51 [6.02] vs. 37.52 [5.80], STE: 20.58 [7.22] vs. 17.54 [3.48], CP vs. control, % weight/weight, median [IQR], p < 0.05). Values of arachidonic acid were significantly lower in patients with CP than in controls (PL: 10.57 [3.56] vs. 11.66 [3.25], STE: 8.14 [2.63] vs. 9.24 [2.86], p < 0.05). Values of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid did not differ and there was no difference in the ratio of n-3 to n-6 LCPUFA.


CONCLUSIONS
Our present data do not furnish evidence for the supplementation of n-3 LCPUFA to the diet of CP patients in relatively good clinical condition.
Marosvolgyi
Tamas
T
Department of Paediatrics, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary.
Horvath
Gabor
G
Dittrich
Aniko
A
Cseh
Judit
J
Lelovics
Zsuzsanna
Z
Szabo
Eva
E
Decsi
Tamas
T
Figler
Maria
M
D000368:Aged; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019512:Pancreatitis, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood* / Q000178:diet therapy; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000097:blood
D005227:Fatty Acids; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D008055:Lipids; D010743:Phospholipids