Chapter 40

Pancreatitis of genetic and complex etiologies

David C. Whitcomb

David C. Whitcomb

University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

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First published: 25 February 2022

Summary

This chapter offers diverse images that provide an overview of pancreatitis of genetic and complex etiologies and aims to provide a synopsis through pictures and illustrations rather than through text. The pancreas is a digestive gland that is both a ductal gland (exocrine) and a ductless gland (endocrine). Pancreatitis is inflammation of the exocrine pancreas that is initiated by processes internal to the pancreas or external to the pancreas. Hereditary pancreatitis is an autosomal dominant Mendelian genetic disorder of the pancreas with high penetrance and all the typical features of acute pancreatitis, recurrent acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis, and pancreatitis-associated diabetes and high risk of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. The key molecule for normal duct function is the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). Understanding of the mechanism that the pancreatic duct cells use to generate sodium bicarbonate secretion requires modeling, since no single molecule, including CFTR, can explain the observed phenomenon.

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