Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency is an under recognized complication of pancreatic disease [1-3]. While patients with advanced exocrine pancreatic insufficiency usually present with abdominal pain and steatorrhea, those with less severe insufficiency may only have mild symptoms. This topic will review the etiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and management of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. An overview of nutrient absorption, malabsorption, and the evaluation and management of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in cystic fibrosis are discussed in detail separately. (See "Clinical features and diagnosis of malabsorption" and "Mechanisms of nutrient absorption and malabsorption" and "Overview of the treatment of malabsorption" and "Cystic fibrosis: Assessment and management of pancreatic insufficiency" and "Cystic fibrosis: Overview of gastrointestinal disease".)
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- Diagnostic approach
- Indirect pancreatic function tests
- - Fecal elastase-1
- - Fecal chymotrypsin
- - Serum trypsinogen
- Direct pancreatic function tests
- - Secretin test
- - CCK test
- - Secretin-CCK test
- - Other
- ESTABLISHING THE ETIOLOGY
- SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS