Enzyme therapy for malabsorption in exocrine pancreatic insufficiency

Fat malabsorption in patients with chronic alcoholic pancreatitis and cystic fibrosis may lead to vitamin and essential fatty acid deficiency in addition to steatorrhea. In clinical practice it can be difficult to achieve complete correction of malabsorption and elimination of steatorrhea. The earliest treatment methods used the oral administration of porcine pancreatic enzyme preparations. These conventional enzymes, however, were unstable in the acidic intragastric environment. Subsequently, medications to neutralize or reduce gastric acidity (H2-blockers, antacids, or bicarbonate) were added to improve the stability of the conventional enzymes. Enteric-coated enzyme preparations were then developed that would release only in an alkaline milieu, protecting the enzymes from acid denaturation. The newest and potentially most exciting modalities for the treatment of fat malabsorption are acid-stable lipases, obtained either from a fungal source or through the expression of cloned genes for the enzymes utilizing recombinant DNA techniques. The advantages and disadvantages of the various medications for the therapy of fat malabsorption in pancreatic insufficiency are reviewed.