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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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*'''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
−*Most common in dog - usually associated with [[Pancreas Degenerative - Pathology|pancreatic atrophy]] or [[Pancreas Inflammatory - Pathology#Chronic Pancreatitis|chronic pancreatitis]]
−*Occurs occasionally in other species, esp. calves with [[Pancreas Developmental - Pathology#Pancreatic hypoplasia|pancreatic hypoplasia]] and in cats
−*'''Clinical signs'''
−**Steatorrhoea
−**Diarrhoea
−**Weight loss
−**Increased appetite
−*In contrast, '''horses''' with very little pancreatic tissue develop '''hypoinsulinism''' but rarely EPI+
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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'''