pancreatic insufficiency
Last reviewed 01/2018
Causes of pancreatic insufficiency in a child include:
- cystic fibrosis
- Shwachmann-Diamond syndrome
Causes in an adult include:
- pancreatic exocrine dysfunction
- chronic pancreatitis
- pancreatectomy
- total gastrectomy
- pancreatic insufficiency in a child leads to malabsorption and failure to thrive:
- symptoms include:
- loose, odorous, and frequent stools
- abdominal pain
- in an adult:
- chronic pancreatitis leads to destruction of both exocrine and endocrine tissue - in severe cases the classic triad of diabetes, malabsorption and calcification may be seen; the presenting symptoms are often weight loss and abdominal pain
- in severe pancreatic insufficiency the patient may complain of bulky, foul smelling stools that stick to the toilet pan; passing grease or oil per rectum is a rare pathognomic sign of pancreatic insufficiency
- management
- depends on cause
- pancreatin