Assessment of the Different Etiological and Susceptibility Markers in Patients With Pancreatitis: Investigating IG4, Cytomegalovirus, Coxsackie- Virus, Genetic Polymorphism of Vitamin D Receptor Gene

Overview

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a multifactorial disease. AP represents a significant number of hospital admissions. Most of the patients are admitted in an acute setting. Early identification of its etiology is an essential step toward the rational approach, both for its implications in the immediate therapy and the prevention of recurrence. Although often obvious, the etiological workup of acute pancreatitis can be challenging.

Acute pancreatitis is the most common pancreatic disorder. Although acute pancreatitis is a benign disease, it often progresses to a serious state, and mortality is still high. Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) was first used to describe cases of pancreatitis with narrowing of the pancreatic duct, enlargement of the pancreas, hyper-γ-globulinaemia, and antinuclear antibody (ANA) positivity serologically by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF). The main differential diagnosis is pancreatic cancer, which can be ruled out through radiological, serological, and histological investigations. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common viral pathogen in humans. It is a lytic virus that causes a cytopathic effect in vitro and in vivo. Seroprevalence for CMV worldwide ranges from 60%-100% but the severity of illness varies. Primary CMV may be asymptomatic or may cause a mild and self-limiting mononucleosis-like syndrome. The self-limiting course of CMV infection typically includes fever, malaise, splenomegaly, mild hepatomegaly, small increases in serum transaminase activity, and variable elevation of serum alkaline phosphatase. CMV infection can cause severe hepatitis, meningitis, encephalitis, myelitis, colitis, pancreatitis and pneumonitis. Coxsackie-B virus can also cause acute pancreatitis. VDR are also expressed on pancreatic Ɓ cells, and may play an essential role in maintaining normal insulin levels in accordance to glucose concentrations and to maintain glucose tolerance. Because vitamin D acts through VDR, their impairment or reduced functionality, e.g., as a result of polymorphisms occurring in the VDR gene, may have a crucial impact on the balance in the vitamin D concentration in the circulation, and the final metabolite activity throughout the body.

Conditions