Is It Being Overdiagnosed? Feline Pancreatitis

In recent years, increased awareness of feline pancreatitis by the veterinary profession and improved diagnostic modalities have led to an increased frequency of diagnosis of pancreatitis in this species. Consequently, pancreatic diseases, especially chronic pancreatitis, are considered highly prevalent, even in populations of apparently healthy individuals. This prevalence has led to the suspicion that the condition may be overdiagnosed. This article summarizes the difficulties of diagnosis of acute and chronic pancreatitis, assesses the reasons why this is a challenging disease to recognize, and considers whether these difficulties could result in either overdiagnosis or underdiagnosis.