| Abstract: | ![]()
Alcohol is a major cause of chronic pancreatitis.About5%of alcoholics will ever suffer from pancreatitis,suggesting that additional co-factors are required to trigger an overt disease.Experimental work has implicated lipopolysaccharide,from gut-derived bacteria,as a potential co-factor of alcoholic pancreatitis.This review discusses the effects of alcohol on the gut flora,the gut barrier,the liver-and the pancreas and proposes potential interventional strategies.A better understanding of the interaction between the gut,the liver and the pancreas may provide valuable insight into the pathophysiology of alcoholic pancreatitis. |
