[Chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic dysfunction associated with Sjögren's syndrome]

Some pancreatic involvement was observed in Sjögren's syndrome (SS). Episodes of abdominal pain occurred infrequently in the course of SS, but there were some abnormal findings of the pancreatic functions and/or morphologic examinations. The level of serum amylase was affected by the destruction of both the pancreas and the salivary gland. Hyposecretion of bicarbonate in secretin test seemed to be characteristic in SS. ERP showed mild or moderate changes of the pancreatic duct, but their severities did not correlate with those of the salivary gland. Imaging of the pancreas tended to reveal definite abnormalities only in cases with an attack of pancreatitis. The roles of autoimmune mechanisms have been reported in pancreatitis associated with SS.