Summary
Exocrine pancreatic marker (immunoreactive-trypsin) and endocrine Beta-cell function (plasma insulin and C-peptide during an oral glucose tolerance test) were studied in 40 subjects with tropical-calcific-pancreatitis [seven non-diabetic, seven with impaired-glucose-tolerance and 26 diabetic (fibro-calculous-pancreatic-diabetes)]. In non-diabetic and impaired-glucose-tolerance subjects there was evidence of active pancreatitis in some and exocrine function was partially preserved. Fibro-calculous-pancreatic-diabetic subjects showed severely diminished exocrine pancreatic function; none showed ‘pancreatitic’ elevation of immunoreactive-trypsin. Beta-cell function was preserved in non-diabetic and impaired-glucose-tolerance subjects; diabetic subjects showed variable Beta-cell function but it was severely diminished in more than 75%. Immunoreactive-trypsin and C-peptide were directly correlated (r s=0.55, p<0.01). This cross sectional study demonstrates, for the first time, that the Beta-cell loss in tropical-calcific-pancreatitis is related to the exocrine loss. It suggests that diabetes in tropical-calcific-pancreatitis is either secondary to pancreatitis or that a common factor(s) acts simultaneously on both components.
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Yajnik, C.S., Shelgikar, K.M., Sahasrabudhe, R.A. et al. The spectrum of pancreatic exocrine and endocrine (Beta-cell) function in tropical calcific pancreatitis. Diabetologia 33, 417–421 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00404091
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00404091