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Review
. 2023 Dec 21;20(2):26.
doi: 10.3892/br.2023.1714. eCollection 2024 Feb.

Treatment approaches in autoimmune pancreatitis (Review)

Vlad Pădureanu  1 , Alice Nicoleta Drăgoescu  2 , Rodica Pădureanu  1 , Maria Magdalena Rośu  3 , Dumitru Rădulescu  4 , Dalia Dop  5 , Mircea Cătălin For Ofoiu  1
Affiliations
Review

Treatment approaches in autoimmune pancreatitis (Review)

Vlad Pădureanu et al. Biomed Rep. .

Abstract

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is a rare disease. There are two distinct types of AIP: AIP type 1 (AIP-1), a pancreatic manifestation of a multi-organ disease linked to immunoglobulin (Ig)G4, and AIP type 2 (AIP-2), a pancreas-specific disease unrelated to IgG4. The usual course of treatment for AIP is oral corticosteroid medication. Rituximab has also been recommended for recurrent AIP-1 in order to initiate remission and provide ongoing treatment. Immunomodulators such as azathioprine are used to keep certain patients in remission. Evaluation also takes into account a number of pharmacological alternatives, including biologic drugs like anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy, a safe and efficient second-line treatment for AIP-2 relapse or steroid dependence. Corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, which are poorly tolerated due to considerable side effects, are being replaced by other biologic drugs, which may offer a beneficial therapeutic alternative.

Keywords: autoimmune pancreatitis; azathioprine; glucocorticoids; rituximab.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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