Gut Liver.  2014 Sep;8(5):563-568. 10.5009/gnl13366.

Total Cholesterol Level for Assessing Pancreatic Insufficiency Due to Chronic Pancreatitis

• Hirano K
• Saito T
• Mizuno S
• Tada M
• Sasahira N
• Isayama H
• Matsukawa
• Umefune G
• Akiyama D
• Saito K
• Kawahata S
• Takahara N
• Uchino R
• Hamada T
• Miyabayashi K
• Mohri D
• Sasaki T
• Kogure H
• Yamamoto N
• Nakai Y
• Koike K

• KMID: 2070068
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5009/gnl13366

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
To determine the nutritional markers important for assessing the degree of pancreatic insufficiency due to chronic pancreatitis in routine clinical practice.
METHODS
A total of 137 patients with chronic pancreatitis were followed up for more than 1 year. They were divided into two groups: a pancreatic diabetes mellitus (DM) group, consisting of 47 patients undergoing medical treatment for DM of pancreatic origin, and a nonpancreatic DM group, consisting of 90 other patients (including 86 patients without DM). Serum albumin, prealbumin, total cholesterol, cholinesterase, magnesium, and hemoglobin were compared between the two groups.
RESULTS
The total cholesterol was significantly lower in the pancreatic than the nonpancreatic DM group (164 mg/dL vs 183 mg/dL, respectively; p=0.0028). Cholinesterase was significantly lower in the former group (263 U/L vs 291 U/L, respectively; p=0.016). Among the 37 patients with nonalcoholic pancreatitis, there was no difference in the cholinesterase levels between the pancreatic and nonpancreatic (296 U/L vs 304 U/L, respectively; p=0.752) DM groups, although cholesterol levels remained lower in the former (165 mg/dL vs 187 mg/dL, respectively; p=0.052).
CONCLUSIONS
Cholinesterase levels are possibly affected by concomitant alcoholic liver injury. The total cholesterol level should be considered when assessing pancreatic insufficiency due to chronic pancreatitis.

Keyword

Chronic pancreatitis; Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency; Diabetes mellitus; Cholesterol; Cholinesterase

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Cholesterol/*blood
Cholinesterases/blood
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/complications
Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency/*blood/etiology
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic/blood
Male
Middle Aged
Nutritional Status
Pancreas/enzymology
Pancreatitis, Alcoholic/blood/complications
Pancreatitis, Chronic/blood/*complications
Serum Albumin/analysis
Cholesterol
Cholinesterases
Serum Albumin