Abstracts Poster Abstracts - Dr Falk

Autoimmune pancreatitis: An underdiagnosed condition inCaucasiansS. Abisi, G. Morris-Stiff, M.C.A. PuntisDepartments of Surgery, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UKIntroduction: Autoimmune pancreatitis is uncommon in the western world, particularlyin Europe. Recognizing autoimmune pancreatitis as new clinical entity in Europe willchange the management for many patients who have been labeled as acute or chronicpancreatitisMethods: We report the first case of autoimmune pancreatitis in the United Kingdomand highlight the classical features of the condition including its management, whichdiffers considerably from either acute or chronic pancreatitis. We studied our case ofautoimmune pancreatitis against the autoimmune pancreatitis criteria.Characteristic findings of autoimmune pancreatitis- Increased IgG- Autoantibodies presence- Diffuse enlargement of the pancreas- Diffuse irregular narrowing of pancreatic duct- Fibrotic pancreas with lymphocyte infiltration- No or mild symptoms without attacks of acute pancreatitis- Rare calcification or pancreatic cysts- Occasional association with other auto immune diseases- Effective steroid therapy- Diabetes often improves with steroidsResults: Our case manifested all of the characteristic findings of autoimmunepancreatitis including the rarer features of symptomatic pancreatitis, pancreatic fibrosisand pancreatic cyst formation. He also manifested other autoimmune associationsincluding interstitial nephritis and Sjögren's syndrome.Discussion/Conclusion: Autoimmune pancreatitis was first recognized as apathological entity by Sarle and colleagues in 1961. By the end of the 20 th century, therewere several hundred cases documented in the literature the vast majority of whichwere Japanese patients. This disease appears very rarely outside of Japan,Autoimmune pancreatitis is now established as a definite clinical entity and as thefeatures of the condition become more familiar to physicians, the prevalence of thecondition in the Western World will undoubtedly increase. Our recognition ofautoimmune pancreatitis in the Europe will have a significant impact on our approachand management for patients with pancreatitis.1