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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Nov 17.
Published in final edited form as: JOP. 2019 Jul 30;20(5):121–125.

Table 1.

Causes of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency and mechanisms.

Cause Mechanism
Chronic pancreatitis Permanent structural damage of ducts and parenchyma
Cystic fibrosis Dysfunctional pancreatic secretion secondary to CFTR mutations
Main pancreatic duct obstruction Decreased secretion of pancreatic enzymes
Pancreatic resection Decreased secretion of pancreatic enzymes
Gastric resection Decreased hormonal stimulation, rapid transit, inadequate mixing of chyme with pancreatic enzymes
Short bowel syndrome Decreased hormonal stimulation, rapid transit, inadequate mixing of chyme with pancreatic enzymes
Hereditary hemochromatosis Iron deposition in the pancreas
Celiac disease Small bowel mucosal disease leads to decreased CCK mediated pancreatic stimulation
Zollinger-Ellison syndrome Gastrinoma causes inactivation of pancreatic enzymes via increased gastric acid