Research Service, Veterans Administration Medical Center, 4101 Woolworth Avenue, Omaha, NE 68105, USA.
World J Gastroenterol. 2010 Mar 21;16(11):1314-20. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i11.1314.
The association between alcohol consumption and pancreatitis has been recognized for over 100 years. Despite the fact that this association is well recognized, the mechanisms by which alcohol abuse leads to pancreatic tissue damage are not entirely clear. Alcohol abuse is the major factor associated with pancreatitis in the Western world. Interestingly, although most cases of chronic pancreatitis and many cases of acute pancreatitis are associated with alcohol abuse, only a small percentage of individuals who abuse alcohol develop this disease. This situation is reminiscent of the association between alcohol abuse and the incidence of alcoholic liver disease. The liver and the pancreas are developmentally very closely related. Even though these two organs are quite different, they exhibit a number of general structural and functional similarities. Furthermore, the diseases mediated by alcohol abuse in these organs exhibit some striking similarities. The diseases in both organs are characterized by parenchymal cell damage, activation of stellate cells, aberrant wound healing, and fibrosis. Because of the similarities between the liver and the pancreas, and the alcohol-associated diseases of these organs, we may be able to apply much of the knowledge that we have gained regarding the effects of alcohol on the liver to the pancreas.
酒精性胰腺炎的关联已经被认识超过 100 年了。尽管这种关联已经得到广泛认可，但酒精滥用导致胰腺组织损伤的机制还不完全清楚。在西方世界，酒精滥用是导致胰腺炎的主要因素。有趣的是，尽管大多数慢性胰腺炎和许多急性胰腺炎病例都与酒精滥用有关，但只有一小部分滥用酒精的人会患上这种疾病。这种情况让人想起酒精滥用与酒精性肝病发病率之间的关联。肝脏和胰腺在发育上非常密切相关。尽管这两个器官非常不同，但它们表现出许多一般的结构和功能相似性。此外，这两个器官中由酒精滥用引起的疾病也有一些显著的相似之处。这两个器官的疾病都以实质细胞损伤、星状细胞激活、异常的伤口愈合和纤维化为特征。由于肝脏和胰腺之间的相似性，以及这些器官的酒精相关疾病，我们也许能够将我们在肝脏方面获得的关于酒精作用的知识应用到胰腺上。
