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Zhang BB, Huo JW, Yang ZH, Wang ZC, Jin EH. Spontaneous remission of autoimmune pancreatitis: Four case reports. World J Clin Cases 2022; 10:8232-8241. [PMID: 36159515 PMCID: PMC9403692 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i23.8232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is a particular type of chronic pancreatitis, and steroid treatment of AIP is effective. Spontaneous remission (SR) of AIP without steroids is relatively rare. The international consensus for the treatment of autoimmune pancreatitis suggests that patients with AIP with obstructive jaundice, abdominal pain, and back pain related to the pancreas or the bile duct should be treated with steroids; most asymptomatic patients with AIP may improve without steroids. However, in our clinical work, we found that the clinical characteristics of AIP patients with SR vary. Four of these cases are described here. In addition, to our knowledge, there is no previously published report of dynamic imaging before and after SR of AIP at present.
CASE SUMMARY We present the cases of four patients with AIP (two females and two males) in which the AIP improved spontaneously without steroid treatment. Two patients were asymptomatic, one patient had abdominal pain with obstructive jaundice, and one patient had intermittent right upper abdominal pain. Three patients presented with localized pancreatic enlargement and one with diffuse pancreatic enlargement. In addition to the pancreatic lesions, bile duct involvement was seen in two patients, and no extra-pancreatic organ involvement was found in the other two patients. The serum IgG4 level of all patients was more than twice the normal level. After SR in the four patients, the affected pancreases exhibited three types of image features: Return to normal, progressive fibrosis, and atrophy and calcification.
CONCLUSION The clinical features of SR in our four patients with AIP differ, but the imaging findings share some characteristics. After SR, in some cases the affected pancreas could return to normal, although some patients suffer from progressive fibrosis and atrophy as well as calcification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin-Bin Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China
| | - Jian-Wei Huo
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China
| | - Zheng-Han Yang
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Zhen-Chang Wang
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Er-Hu Jin
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China
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Qureshi A, Ghobrial Y, De Castro J, Siami-Namini K, Newman KA. Autoimmune pancreatitis - What we know and what do we have to know? Autoimmun Rev 2021; 20:102912. [PMID: 34280553 DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2021.102912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ammar Qureshi
- Eisenhower Health, Internal Medicine Residency Program, 39000 Bob Hope Dr, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270, United States of America.
| | - Youssef Ghobrial
- Eisenhower Health, Internal Medicine Residency Program, 39000 Bob Hope Dr, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270, United States of America
| | - Joline De Castro
- Eisenhower Health, Internal Medicine Residency Program, 39000 Bob Hope Dr, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270, United States of America
| | - Koushan Siami-Namini
- Eisenhower Health, Department of Pathology, 39000 Bob Hope Dr, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270, United States of America.
| | - Kam A Newman
- University of California, Riverside (UCR), School of Medicine, Eisenhower Health, Internal Medicine Residency Program, Division of Rheumatology, 39000 Bob Hope Dr, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270, United States of America.
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Okazaki K, Chari ST, Frulloni L, Lerch MM, Kamisawa T, Kawa S, Kim MH, Lévy P, Masamune A, Webster G, Shimosegawa T. International consensus for the treatment of autoimmune pancreatitis. Pancreatology 2016; 17:1-6. [PMID: 28027896 DOI: 10.1016/j.pan.2016.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Revised: 11/24/2016] [Accepted: 12/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The International Consensus Diagnostic Criteria (ICDC) for AIP has proposed two distinctive type of AIP, type 1 and type 2, and enabled us first to differentiate two types of AIP each other. By initial steroid treatment for induction of remission, remission can be successfully induced in almost all subjects with type 1 and type 2 AIP. As relapse rate in type 1 AIP is significantly higher than in type 2 AIP, there has been ongoing debate on how to treat effectively relapse of type 1 AIP. METHODS By a modified Delphi approach, a panel of international experts has proposed an international consensus on the treatment of AIP after intense discussion and deliberation during an international consensus symposium of the International Association of Pancreatology (IAP) 2016. RESULTS Individual statements for nine clinical questions with recommendation levels and the therapeutic strategy have been proposed. CONCLUSION The recommendations are based on the available evidence, and eastern and western experts' opinions to find standard treatment of AIP worldwide. These recommendations can be tailored according to the local expertise and context in the management of individual patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuichi Okazaki
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kansai Medical University, Hirakata, Japan.
| | - Suresh T Chari
- Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
| | - Luca Frulloni
- Department of Medicine, Pancreas Institute, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Markus M Lerch
- Department of Medicine A, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany
| | - Terumi Kamisawa
- Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Komagome Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shigeyuki Kawa
- Center for Health, Safety, and Environmental Management, Shinshu University, Matsumoto, Japan
| | - Myung-Hwan Kim
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Philippe Lévy
- Service de Pancréatologie-Gastroentérologie, Pôle des Maladies de l'Appareil Digestif, Université Denis Diderot-Paris VII Hôpital Beaujon, APHP, Clichy, France
| | - Atsushi Masamune
- Division of Gastroenterology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - George Webster
- Pancreaticobiliary Medicine Unit, University College London Hospitals, London, UK
| | - Tooru Shimosegawa
- Division of Gastroenterology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
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Kamisawa T, Okazaki K, Kawa S, Ito T, Inui K, Irie H, Nishino T, Notohara K, Nishimori I, Tanaka S, Nishiyama T, Suda K, Shiratori K, Tanaka M, Shimosegawa T. Amendment of the Japanese Consensus Guidelines for Autoimmune Pancreatitis, 2013 III. Treatment and prognosis of autoimmune pancreatitis. J Gastroenterol 2014; 49:961-70. [PMID: 24639058 DOI: 10.1007/s00535-014-0945-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2014] [Accepted: 02/06/2014] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The standard treatment for autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is steroid therapy, although some patients improve spontaneously. Indications for steroid therapy in AIP patients are symptoms such as obstructive jaundice, abdominal pain, back pain, and the presence of symptomatic extrapancreatic lesions. Prior to steroid therapy, obstructive jaundice should be managed by biliary drainage, and blood glucose levels should be controlled in patients with diabetes mellitus. The recommended initial oral prednisolone dose for induction of remission is 0.6 mg/kg/day, which is administered for 2-4 weeks. The dose is then tapered by 5 mg every 1-2 weeks, based on changes in clinical manifestations, biochemical blood tests (such as liver enzymes and IgG or IgG4 levels), and repeated imaging findings (US, CT, MRCP, ERCP, etc.). The dose is tapered to a maintenance dose (2.5-5 mg/day) over a period of 2-3 months. Cessation of steroid therapy should be based on the disease activity in each case. Termination of maintenance therapy should be planned within 3 years in cases with radiological and serological improvement. Re-administration or dose-up of steroid is effective for treating AIP relapse. Application of immunomodulatory drugs is considered for AIP patients who prove resistant to steroid therapy. The prognosis of AIP appears to be good over the short-term with steroid therapy. The long-term outcome is less clear, as there are many unknown factors, such as relapse, pancreatic exocrine or endocrine dysfunction, and associated malignancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terumi Kamisawa
- Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Komagome Hospital, 3-18-22 Honkomagome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8677, Japan,
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Immunoglobulin G4-related pancreatic and biliary diseases. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY = JOURNAL CANADIEN DE GASTROENTEROLOGIE 2014; 27:523-30. [PMID: 24078937 DOI: 10.1155/2013/180461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autoimmune pancreatitis and autoimmune cholangitis are new clinical entities that are now recognized as the pancreatico-biliary manifestations of immunoglobulin (Ig) G4-related disease. OBJECTIVE To summarize important clinical aspects of IgG4-related pancreatic and biliary diseases, and to review the role of IgG4 in the diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) and autoimmune cholangitis (AIC). METHODS A narrative review was performed using the PubMed database and the following keywords: "IgG4", "IgG4 related disease", "autoimmune pancreatitis", "sclerosing cholangitis" and "autoimmune cholangitis". A total of 955 articles were retrieved; of these, 381 contained relevant data regarding the IgG4 molecule, pathogenesis of IgG-related diseases, and diagnosis, management and long-term follow-up for patients with AIP and AIC. Of these 381 articles, 66 of the most pertinent were selected. RESULTS The selected studies demonstrated the increasing clinical importance of both AIP and AIC, which can mimic pancreatic cancer and cholangiocarcinoma, respectively. IgG4 titration in tissue or blood cannot be used alone to diagnose all IgG4-related diseases; however, it is often a useful adjunct to clinical, radiological and histological features. AIP and AIC respond to steroids; however, relapse is common and long-term maintenance treatment often required. CONCLUSIONS A review of the diagnosis and management of both AIC and AIP is timely and pertinent to clinical practice because the amount of information regarding these conditions has increased substantially in the past few years, resulting in significant impact on the clinical management of affected patients.
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Pezzilli R. Immunosuppressive drugs for the treatment of autoimmune pancreatitis. Immunotherapy 2014; 6:477-83. [DOI: 10.2217/imt.14.20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Autoimmune pancreatitis is one of the few diseases of the pancreas characterized by the possibility of curing the illness using immunosuppressant drugs. In this paper, the therapeutic approach used to treat autoimmune pancreatitis patients and the clinical outcome related to each treatment modality were reviewed. Steroids are useful in alleviating the symptoms of the acute presentation of autoimmune pancreatitis, but some questions remain open, such as a shared definition of the disease’s remission as well as autoimmune pancreatitis relapse, the dosage of steroids in the symptomatic phase of the disease and the duration of steroid therapy. Finally, it should be determined if other immunosuppressive nonsteroidal drugs could become first-line therapy in patients with autoimmune pancreatitis without jaundice and without atrophic pancreas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Pezzilli
- Pancreas Unit, Department of Digestive Diseases & Internal Medicine, Sant’Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy
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Pezzilli R, Cariani G, Santini D, Calculli L, Casadei R, Morselli-Labate AM, Corinaldesi R. Therapeutic management and clinical outcome of autoimmune pancreatitis. Scand J Gastroenterol 2011; 46:1029-38. [PMID: 21619507 DOI: 10.3109/00365521.2011.584896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autoimmune pancreatitis, in comparison to other benign chronic pancreatic diseases, is characterized by the possibility of curing the illness with immunosuppressant drugs. The open question is whether to differentiate autoimmune pancreatitis as a primary or secondary disease based on the presence or absence of other autoimmune diseases or whether to consider autoimmune pancreatitis a clinical and pathological systemic entity, called IgG4-related sclerosing disease, since this aspect is also very important from a therapeutic point of view. METHODS In this paper, we reviewed the conventional therapeutic approach used to treat autoimmune pancreatitis patients and the clinical outcome related to each treatment modality. We also reviewed some aspects which are important for the correct management of autoimmune pancreatitis, such as the surgical approach, the outcome of surgically treated autoimmune pancreatitis patients, whether medical treatment is always necessary, and, finally, when medical treatment should be initiated. CONCLUSIONS Steroids are useful in alleviating the symptoms of the acute presentation of autoimmune pancreatitis, but some questions remain open such as the dosage of steroids in the acute phase and the duration of steroid therapy; finally, it should be assessed if other immunosuppressive non-steroidal drugs may become the first-line therapy in patients with AIP without jaundice and without atrophic pancreas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaele Pezzilli
- Pancreas Unit, Department of Digestive Diseases and Internal Medicine, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Italy.
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Kamisawa T, Okazaki K, Kawa S, Shimosegawa T, Tanaka M. Japanese consensus guidelines for management of autoimmune pancreatitis: III. Treatment and prognosis of AIP. J Gastroenterol 2010; 45:471-7. [PMID: 20213336 DOI: 10.1007/s00535-010-0221-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 204] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2010] [Accepted: 02/04/2010] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Steroid therapy appeared to be a standard treatment for autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), although some AIP patients improve spontaneously. The indications for steroid therapy in AIP patients are symptoms such as obstructive jaundice, abdominal pain, and back pain, and the presence of symptomatic extrapancreatic lesions. Before steroid therapy, jaundice should be managed by biliary drainage in patients with obstructive jaundice, and blood glucose levels should be controlled in patients with diabetes mellitus. For the initial oral prednisolone dose for induction of remission, 0.6 mg/kg/day is recommended. The initial dose is administered for 2-4 weeks, and the dose is tapered by 5 mg every 1-2 weeks, based on changes in the clinical manifestations, biochemical blood tests (such as liver enzymes and IgG or IgG4 levels), and repeated imaging findings (US, CT, MRCP, ERCP, etc.). The dose is tapered to a maintenance dose (2.5-5 mg/day) over a period of 2-3 months. Steroid therapy should be stopped based on the disease activity in each case. Stopping of maintenance therapy should be planned within at least 3 years in cases with radiological and serological improvement. Re-administration or dose-up of steroid is effective for treating AIP relapses. The prognosis of AIP appears to be good over the short-term with steroid therapy. It is unclear whether the long-term outcome is good because there are many unknown factors, such as relapse, pancreatic exocrine or endocrine dysfunction, and associated malignancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terumi Kamisawa
- Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Komagome Hospital, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
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