title: Exocrine pancreas involvement in celiac disease: a review.
abstract: There are numerous studies in the literature regarding the involvement of intestinal as well as extra intestinal organs during the course of celiac disease, and there is accumulating evidence regarding the pancreatic changes caused by this pathology.
  
  
  METHODS
  The literature on the relationship between celiac disease and pancreatic involvement has been extensively reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Exocrine pancreatic involvement regards both the function and the morphology of the exocrine pancreas, and superimposed or more severe clinical changes seem to be related to the nutritional disturbances caused by celiac disease or by the disease itself. Patients with celiac disease may also develop a chronic pancreatitis more frequently than in general population both the intestinal and the extraintestinal manifestations of celiac disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fecal elastase 1-determination in celiacs may be useful in detecting and curing exocrine pancreatic insufficiency especially in patients with a new diagnosis of celiac disease or in those with refractory diarrhea. Few patents on pancreatic extracts are also briefly described.
authors.affiliation: Pancreas Unit, Department of Digestive Diseases, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy. raffaele.pezzilli@aosp.bo.it.
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pezzilli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010188:Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000201:enzymology; D006801:Humans; D046790:Pancreas, Exocrine / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase / Q000378:metabolism; D010184:Pancreatic Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage; D050500:Pancreatitis, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D010330:Patents as Topic
chemical_list: D010184:Pancreatic Extracts; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase