Background and context	Alcohol related diseases are difficult to diagnose. Fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) are known to be elevated during alcohol intoxication, but their levels and roles in diseases like alcoholic pancreatitis is unknown.
New Findings	The FAEE increase during alcoholic pancreatitis parallel their source, i.e. fatty acids released from fat breakdown. However, during alcohol intoxication, FAEEs come from alcohol mediated damage to cell membranes.
Limitations	We only sampled the blood fatty acids, and not the fat affected in patients with pancreatitis. There was no validation cohort to verify accuracy of FAEEs as biomarkers of alcoholic pancreatitis.
Impact	FAEEs may be useful as biomarkers of alcoholic pancreatitis. Their role in diagnosing other acute alcoholic diseases, such as alcoholic hepatitis can be explored.