Pancreatitis is a disorder characterized by inflammation of pancreas and is uncommon in children. Childhood pancreatitis can be classified as acute, chronic, necrotiz-ing, hemorrhagic, or hereditary. Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory process of the pancreas with or without multisystem involvement of defined duration, followed by normal restoration of pancreatic function and morphology.1 Chronic pancreatitis is a result of an inflammatory process that never remits and results in irreversible changes in pancreatic histology.2 It is difficult to estimate the true epidemiology of this condition. However, it is believed that the incidence of pancreatitis in children is approximately 1 in 500 000.3 The common causes of childhood pancreatitis include infectious, anatomic, systemic, trauma, and idiopathic.4 Idiopathic childhood pancreatitis accounts for 25% of the cases.4 A recent increase in the incidence of childhood pancreatitis is noted.5 However, the etiology of pancreatitis in children does not seem to be changing and the increased reporting is more likely to be due to higher index of suspicion and diagnosis of pancreatitis by physicians taking care of children.
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