Review
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World J Gastroenterol. Nov 28, 2013; 19(44): 7930-7946
Published online Nov 28, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i44.7930
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in adults: A shared position statement of the Italian association for the study of the pancreas
Raffaele Pezzilli, Angelo Andriulli, Claudio Bassi, Gianpaolo Balzano, Maurizio Cantore, Gianfranco Delle Fave, Massimo Falconi, Luca Frulloni; the Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency collaborative (EPIc) Group
Raffaele Pezzilli, Angelo Andriulli, Claudio Bassi, Gianpaolo Balzano, Maurizio Cantore, Gianfranco Delle Fave, Massimo Falconi, Luca Frulloni; the Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency collaborative (EPIc) Group, Department of Digestive Diseases, Internal Medicine Sant’Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, 40138 Bologna, Italy
Author contributions: Pezzilli R, Andriulli A, Bassi C, Balzano G, Cantore M, Delle Fave G, Falconi M, Frulloni L analyzed the data and interpreted the results; Pezzilli R designed the study and wrote the manuscript; all the authors equally contributed to this work.
Supported by An unrestricted grant from Abbott Italia s.r.l.
Correspondence to: Raffaele Pezzilli, MD, Department of Digestive Diseases, Internal Medicine Sant’Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy. raffaele.pezzilli@aosp.bo.it
Telephone: +39-51-6364148 Fax: +39-51-6364148
Received: July 9, 2013
Revised: August 18, 2013
Accepted: September 16, 2013
Published online: November 28, 2013
Processing time: 154 Days and 18.3 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency represents a condition related to pancreatic and extrapancreatic disease. We have reviewed the evidence related to the pathophysiological aspects of exocrine pancreatic diseases and we have also reported the recommendations for treating this condition in the most common pancreatic and extrapancreatic diseases. Pancreatin minimicrospheres is a drug which is cost-effective according to a survey of Polish patients, but studies demonstrating its cost-efficacy in Italy are necessary.