Acute and chronic pancreatitis in childhood

The incidence of acute and chronic pancreatitis in childhood is unknown. Both are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The role of clinical suspicion is vital as these disorders can be misdiagnosed easily. Molecular basis of several disorders are being elicited and promising new diagnostic tests are being developed, including tests to assess fat malabsorption by non-invasive methods. Etiological spectrum of acute pancreatitis ranges from congenital, structural or inherited disorders to trauma, infections, drug toxicity and interventions such as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and organ transplantation. Chronic tropical calculus pancreatitis is a progressive disorder that presents in childhood with recurrent abdominal pain, progressing to diabetes by puberty. Idiopathic recurrent pancreatitis has recently been associated with higher frequency of cystic fibrosis gene mutations. Therapeutic use of lexipafant opens the field to new powerful therapies designed to reduce the systemic inflammatory response syndrome and thus reduce the morbidity and mortality significantly.