Abstract
The serum lipase and amylase activities of forty patients with chronic pancreatitis were observed for more than six months and were studied relation to their symptoms. Control groups consisted of forty patients with digestive diseases excluding the other pancreatic diseases, biliary tract diseases, severe bowel, hepatic diseases and twenty eight normal volunteers.
There was significant difference between the mean values of those two enzyme activi-ties of chronic pancreatitis group and the mean values of control groups.
Of the patients with chronic pancreatitis, those enzyme activities were significantly higher in severe, prolonged cases than in mild cases.
In 246 periods of relapse and remission in the course of forty chronic pancreatitis patients, lipase activity increased in 86% of the relapsing periods and decreased in 63% of remission periods.
Inversity between the course of serum lipase and the course of amylase activities was seen in mild cases.
In pancreozymin and secretin tests, at least one of two enzyme activities increased in more than 3/4 patients with chronic pancreatitis.
Normal volunteers showed diversed tendency between before and after ingestion of alco-holics and fatty foods in lipase activity.
Therefore serum lipase activity would be one of the useful markers for prognosis of chronic pancreatitis and precaution should be made before serum lipase examination.
