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Lookup NU author(s): Professor John LeedsORCiD
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© Royal College of Physicians 2023. All rights reserved. There is cumulative evidence that pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) is under-recognised and can occur in patients with 'at-risk' conditions. Thus, we aimed to assess the current practice and yield of requesting faecal elastase (FEL-1), an indicator of PEI, in patients with 'at-risk' conditions. We prospectively recruited patients attending secondary care clinics with diabetes mellitus (DM), people living with HIV (PLHIV) and inpatients admitted to hospital with high alcohol intake (HAI). All patients underwent testing with FEL-1. Those patients with PEI (FEL-1 <200 μg/g) were contacted and offered a follow-up review in gastroenterology clinic. In total, 188 patients were recruited (HAI, n=78; DM, n=64; and PLHIV, n=46). Previous FEL-1 testing had not been performed in any of the patients. The return rate of samples was 67.9% for patients with HAI, 76.6% for those with DM and 56.5% for those with PLHIV. The presence of PEI was shown in 20.4% of patients with DM, 15.4% of patients with PLHIV and 22.6% in those with HAI. Diarrhoea and bloating were the most reported symptoms in followed-up patients with low FEL-1 (31.8% and 22.7% of patients, respectively). Follow-up computed tomography (CT) scans in those patients with PEI identified chronic pancreatitis changes in 13.6% and pancreatic atrophy in 31.8% of patients. These results suggest that there is a lack of testing for PEI in 'at-risk' groups. Our findings also suggest that using FEL-1 to test for PEI in patients with DM, PLHIV and HAI has a significant impact, although further studies are required to validate these findings.
Author(s): Jalal M, Leeds JS, Ching H-L, Oprescu A, Tunbridge A, Greig J, Tesfaye S, Hopper AD
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Clinical Medicine
Year: 2023
Volume: 23
Issue: 6
Pages: 588-593
Print publication date: 01/11/2023
Online publication date: 08/12/2023
Acceptance date: 02/04/2018
ISSN (print): 1470-2118
ISSN (electronic): 1473-4893
Publisher: Royal College of Physicians
URL: https://doi.org/10.7861/clinmed.2023-0185
DOI: 10.7861/clinmed.2023-0185
PubMed id: 38065607
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