title: Fatty acid composition of plasma lipid classes in chronic alcoholic pancreatitis.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary.
authors.forename: Tamas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Marosvolgyi
authors.forename: Gabor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Horvath
authors.forename: Aniko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dittrich
authors.forename: Judit
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cseh
authors.forename: Zsuzsanna
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lelovics
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Szabo
authors.forename: Tamas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Decsi
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Figler
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D008055:Lipids; D010743:Phospholipids