Pancreatitis in ethnic minorities is linked to very severe levels of triglycerides and the risk is further increased by alcohol abuse and gallstones, a study has found.
Loyola Medicine gastroenterologist Ayokunle Abegunde, MD, is a co-author of the study, published online ahead of print in the journal Endocrine Practice.
Pancreatitis is inflammation in the pancreas, a large gland behind the stomach that produces enzymes that aid in digestion and hormones that help maintain bood sugar balance. Acute pancreatitis is responsible for more than 220,000 hospital admissions in the United States each year and has a mortality rate ranging from 3 to 30 percent.
