K. Suda et al., PANCREATIC FIBROSIS IN PATIENTS WITH ALCOHOLIC DEPENDENCE SYNDROME, Archives of pathology and laboratory medicine, 117(10), 1993, pp. 1013-1016
Citations number
14
Categorie Soggetti
Pathology,"Medical Laboratory Technology","Medicine, Research & Experimental
Pancreatic fibrosis in patients with alcoholic dependence syndrome was
studied histopathologically. In 30 of 41 autopsied patients with alco
holic dependence syndrome, fibrosis was observed despite the absence o
f clinical pancreatitis. The fibrosis was categorized into three types
, according to Martin's classification: intralobular sclerosis in 15 c
ases, perilobular sclerosis in seven cases, and a mixed intralobular a
nd perilobular sclerosis in the remaining eight cases. The type of the
fibrosis was not related to the duration of alcohol abuse. Alcoholic
liver cirrhosis was coexistent in 23 of the 30 cases of pancreatic fib
rosis. These cases were also divided into categories according to the
three types, as follows: intralobular sclerosis in 12 (80%) of 15 case
s, perilobular sclerosis in four (57%) of seven cases, and mixed scler
osis in seven (88%) of eight cases. That is, intralobular and mixed sc
lerosis were frequently coexistent with alcoholic liver cirrhosis. Whe
n the pancreases from the 19 subjects with intralobular sclerosis and
mixed sclerosis coexistent with liver cirrhosis in alcoholic dependenc
e syndrome were compared with 20 pancreases from patients with nonalco
holic liver cirrhosis, periacinar (or intralobular) fibrosis was found
in all cases of the former, but in none of the latter. Hence, it was
concluded that periacinar fibrosis occurred as a result of alcohol abu
se. Pancreatic fibrosis in patients with alcoholic dependence syndrome
was distributed mainly in the intralobular areas and was frequently c
oexistent with alcoholic liver cirrhosis.