title: Genetics of alcoholic and nonalcoholic pancreatitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide an expert review and expert perspective on important advances related to the genetics of acute and chronic pancreatitis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Provocative new studies highlight the interplay between genetic, developmental, and environmental factors. Key findings include the relationship between pancreas divisum and CFTR mutations, the role of trypsin in acute and recurrent acute pancreatitis, and the discovery of a pancreatitis modifier gene on the X chromosome that provides new clues to why the vast majority of patients with alcoholic pancreatitis are men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pancreatic genetics is complex, linked to the multiplicative and modifying effects of multiple interacting genetic, structural, and environmental factors. Clinical interpretation will require disease modeling and simulation to understand the combined effect of risk factors that alone are neither sufficient nor necessary to cause disease, and to design treatment strategies that prevent the development of advanced chronic pancreatitis - which by definition is irreversible.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, Cell Biology and Physiology, and Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA. whitcomb@pitt.edu
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Whitcomb
mesh_terms: D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D041321:Chromosomes, Human, X / Q000235:genetics; D019005:Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator / Q000235:genetics; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D008049:Lipase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D019512:Pancreatitis, Alcoholic / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D050500:Pancreatitis, Chronic / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012008:Recurrence; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics*; D014357:Trypsin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014359:Trypsin Inhibitor, Kazal Pancreatic
chemical_list: C505032:CFTR protein, human; D002352:Carrier Proteins; C486642:SPINK1 protein, human; D019005:Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator; D014359:Trypsin Inhibitor, Kazal Pancreatic; D008049:Lipase; C489303:PRSS1 protein, human; D014357:Trypsin