The Role of Nutrition in Pancreatic Insufficiency

摘要

As veterinary healthcare team members, it is important to have an understanding of nutrition and how it relates to and helps in disease management. After all, nutrition is one area of veterinary medicine that affects every pet that comes into the hospital. When the veterinary team is faced with managing a patient suffering from exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), nutrition overall and certain nutrients specifically, aid in managing this disease.Malassimilation occurs when nutrients fail to cross the intestinal wall and the body is unable to maintain weight or ideal body condition, often resulting in patient suffering.1 The cause may be a result of either maldigestive or malabsorptive diseases.Malabsorption takes place in diseases which alter the structure and function of the mucosa in the small intestinal including the lymphatics. Maldigestion occurs with defects in intraluminal digestion and may result from gastric, pancreatic, or biliary dysfunction. Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) refers to a partial or complete deficiency of pancreatic enzymes. A lack of pancreatic enzymes results in a presumptive diagnosis of EPI. Unlike pancreatitis, EPI is diagnosed on the basis of clinical signs and pancreatic function tests and not primarily the results of pancreatic histopathology; although finding a discernable reduction in pancreatic acinar mass on histology supports a diagnosis of EPI. The pancreas is the only significant source of lipase, so fat maldigestion manifesting as steatorrhea and weight loss are seen.