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Association of Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome with Pancreatitis

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Abstract

In a retrospective analysis, five cases of Zollinger-Ellison syndrome were found in a typical urban inner-city teaching hospital. Chronic alcohol abuse and heavy smoking characterized these patients, and four of them also had pancreatitis, suggesting an association of gastrin-producing tumors and pancreatic inflammation. Ductal obstruction by neuroendocrine tumors has been reported to cause pancreatitis in a few cases. In this analysis, however, a nonobstructive gastrinoma was the surgical diagnosis in three patients, and it was suggested by imaging studies in the two other cases. The potential other pathomechanisms for a dual cause–effect relationship of gastrinoma and pancreatitis are discussed.

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Baffy, G., Boyle, J.M. Association of Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome with Pancreatitis. Dig Dis Sci 45, 1531–1534 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005500708405

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