PREVALENCE AND CURRENT TREATMENT STANDARDS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF DISTURBED FUNCTION OF THE PANCREAS - A PHYSICIAN-BASED CROSS-SECTIONAL

Abstract

Acute pancreatitis (AP), chronic pancreatitis (CP) and cystic fibrosis are frequent causes of disturbed function of the
pancreas. Currently, there is insufficient data on the prevalence of disturbed function of the pancreas and its management
with pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy in Indian clinical practice. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted
across 8 Indian cities involving 63 gastroenterologists who provided their opinions by completing 30-question survey
forms based on their experience with treating 15 patients each with disturbed function of the pancreas. Data were
collected, compiled, analyzed, and presented as frequency and percentage of physicians. According to 50% of the
gastroenterologists, 5%-15% of patients presented with symptoms of disturbed pancreatic function every month in their
clinical practice, with common symptoms being abdominal pain (61.9%) and indigestion (38.1%). Pancreatic enzyme
replacement therapy (PERT) was the most preferred treatment with 87.3% of specialists recommending it. A
combination of amylase, protease, and lipase was prescribed for patients with symptoms like steatorrhea, indigestion, and
abdominal pain by 30.2%, 27.0%, and 25.4% of gastroenterologists, respectively, with 46.0% of the specialists
prescribing them for an average duration of 4-12 weeks. Most gastroenterologists (65.1%) opined that 15,000 units of
lipase dosing were very beneficial as compared to 10,000 units. In conclusion, findings from this survey indicate that a
combination of amylase, protease, and lipase may be beneficial in patients with disturbed function of the pancreas,
especially in those with symptoms of steatorrhea or indigestion; nevertheless, counseling, diet, economic assistance,
lifestyle modification, and regular follow-up of patients are warranted.