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Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (view source)
Revision as of 13:03, 7 August 2009
, 13:03, 7 August 2009no edit summary
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==Typical Signalment==
*Most common in dog:
**German Shepherd Dogs
**Rough Collie
*Occurs occasionally in other species including calves with [[Pancreas Developmental - Pathology#Pancreatic hypoplasia|pancreatic hypoplasia]] and in cats ([[Pancreas Inflammatory - Pathology#Chronic Pancreatitis|chronic pancreatitis]])
*In contrast, '''horses''' with very little pancreatic tissue develop '''hypoinsulinism''' but rarely EPI
==Description==
'''Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI)''' is a syndrome caused by insufficient synthesis and secretion of digestive enzymes by the exocrine portion of the pancreas
*Leading to insufficient activity of digestive enzymes in the lumen of the small intestine
*Pancreas has considerable functional reserve, large proportion needs to be non-functional to show signs of EPI
*In dog it is mostly caused by [[Pancreas Degenerative - Pathology|pancreatic atrophy]] or Pancreatic Acinar Atrophy (PAA)
*In the cat it is usually associated with [[Pancreas Inflammatory - Pathology#Chronic Pancreatitis|chronic pancreatitis]]
==Diagnosis==
===History===
*Weight loss with or without polyphagia (usually ravenous with scavenging)
*Coprophagia and pica
*Polyuria and polydipsia due to Diabetes Mellitus
*Varible diarrhoea (large volumes of semi-formed faeces)
*Vomiting
*Borborygmus and flatulance
===Clinical Signs===
*Steatorrhoea
*Diarrhoea
*Mild to marked weight loss
*Muscle wastage
*Polyphagia
*Poor haircoat
*Flatulance
===Laboratory Tests===
==Treatment==
===Enzyme replacement===
===Dietary modification===
===Vitamin supplementation===
===Antibiotic therapy===
===Glucocorticoid therapy===
==Prognosis==
==References==
Hall, E.J, Simpson, J.W. and Williams, D.A. (2005) '''BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Gastroenterology (2nd Edition)''' ''BSAVA''
Merck & Co (2008) '''The Merck Veterinary Manual'''