Title:Diabetes and Pancreas: Why So Difficult? Potential Mechanisms of Elevated Serum Pancreatic Enzymes
Volume: 23
Issue: 3
Author(s): Elena Matteucci and Ottavio Giampietro
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Diabetes mellitus, amylases, lipase, pancreatitis, adverse drug reaction.
Abstract: Diabetes mellitus has been associated with a higher risk of exocrine pancreas disorders
despite inconsistencies among studies, presumably due to the presence of several (often
unmeasured) confounding factors. As a direct consequence of this uncertainty, the relationship
between anti-diabetic therapies and pancreatic adverse reactions is difficult to evaluate
and remains far from being clarified. Indeed, the on going debate on the safety of
incretin-based therapies does not lie in any definite conclusion.
Serum level of amylases and lipase reflects the balance between production from different
tissues and clearance, but it may be also influenced by numerous molecular, cellular, and systems mechanisms.
The present review tries to provide an overview of potential biochemical pathways that may underlie
pancreatic hyperenzymemia in health and diabetes mellitus.
