{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,19]],"date-time":"2026-05-19T16:40:04Z","timestamp":1779208804337,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"14","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,11]],"date-time":"2025-07-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1752192000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, through the institutional program Publish not Perish"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: The complexity of acute pancreatitis (AP) extends beyond its immediate complications. This study aimed to evaluate both exocrine and endocrine pancreatic dysfunctions following a first episode of AP, assessed at diagnosis and during a 6-month follow-up period. Methods: A prospective analysis was conducted on patients with a first episode of AP. Pancreatic endocrine function was evaluated using fasting glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, while pancreatic exocrine function was assessed through fecal elastase-1 (FE-1) testing and the novel Pancreatic Exocrine Insufficiency Questionnaire (PEI-Q). Results: Altogether, data from 112 time-point observations were analyzed with respect to endocrine and exocrine insufficiency after a first episode of AP, with 60 patients enrolled at baseline, 33 (55%) completing the first follow-up, and 19 (31.67%) completing the second follow-up. Based on PEI-Q scores, 75% of patients showed pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) at baseline. This rate decreased significantly to 33.3% at 2 months, with a further slight decline to 26.3% at 6 months. In contrast, FE-1 testing identified PEI in only 23% of patients at baseline, with a similar progressive improvement in time. Regarding the endocrine function, hyperglycemia was noted at baseline (mean serum glucose 120.75 \u00b1 49.89 mg\/dL), with a decreasing trend and normalization observed at follow-up. Conclusions: The pancreas has a remarkable recovery potential, with both exocrine and endocrine dysfunctions seen during the hospitalization for AP being transient. However, follow-up after AP is essential, as pancreatic insufficiency can significantly impact patients\u2019 quality of life.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14144932","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,11]],"date-time":"2025-07-11T13:44:19Z","timestamp":1752241459000},"page":"4932","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["From Inflammation to Dysfunction: The Impact of a First Acute Pancreatitis Episode on Pancreatic Function"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Marina","family":"Balaban","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Gastroenterology Department, Central Military Emergency University Hospital, 010825 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3436-8041","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniel Vasile","family":"Balaban","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Gastroenterology Department, Central Military Emergency University Hospital, 010825 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Iulia","family":"Enache","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Gastroenterology Department, Central Military Emergency University Hospital, 010825 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ioan Cristian","family":"Nedelcu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Gastroenterology Department, Central Military Emergency University Hospital, 010825 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5826-0815","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mariana","family":"Jinga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Gastroenterology Department, Central Military Emergency University Hospital, 010825 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Cristian","family":"Gheorghe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Gastroenterology Department, Fundeni Clinical Institute, 022328 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"759","DOI":"10.1093\/qjmed\/hcq127","article-title":"Diabetes due to exocrine pancreatic disease\u2014A review of patients attending a hospital-based diabetes clinic","volume":"103","author":"Price","year":"2010","journal-title":"QJM Int. 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