Pancreas

Autoimmune Pancreatitis

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Autoimmune Pancreatitis

  • Epidemiology
  1. Uncommon cause of Chronic Pancreatitis
  2. Average age: 63 years (More than 80% are over age 50 years)
  3. Male gender predominance by 2 fold
  • Symptoms
  • Presentations
  1. Jaundice (>60%)
  2. Abdominal Pain (>30%)
  • Associated Conditions
  1. Sjogren's Syndrome
  2. Rheumatoid Arthritis
  3. Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • Diagnosis
  1. IgG4 titer
    1. Significantly increased in Autoimmune Pancreatitis
  2. CT Abdomen
    1. Diffuse pancreatitic involvement
  • Management
  1. Prednisone 40 mg/day for 1 week and then taper dose down by 5 mg weekly
  • References
  1. Finkelberg (2006) N Engl J Med 355: 2670-2676 [PubMed]