Autoimmune pancreatitis

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is the result of the pancreas's immune response to the recognition of CD4-positive helper cells as an antigen by the pancreas, causing inflammatory lesions of the pancreas. Compared with common causes of chronic pancreatitis, AIP has a relatively typical manifestation: elderly patients with obstructive jaundice without acute pancreatitis symptoms have hypergammaglobulinemia and elevated serum IgG4 levels, positive autoantibodies, irregular Pancreatic duct stenosis and diffuse pancreatic enlargement. Pathology suggests fibrosis with significant infiltration of chronic inflammatory cells such as T lymphocytes and plasma cells.

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