Ana García García de Paredes, Juan Enrique Domínguez Muñoz
{"title":"The evolving definition of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency ‒ Implications for diagnosis and treatment in clinical practice.","authors":"Ana García García de Paredes, Juan Enrique Domínguez Muñoz","doi":"10.17235/reed.2025.11517/2025","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) is a syndrome of maldigestion caused by insufficient intraluminal pancreatic enzyme activity, leading to nutritional deficiencies and impaired quality of life. Recent European guidelines have redefined PEI, recognizing it as a multifactorial condition not limited to reduced pancreatic secretion, but also involving functional digestive failure in various clinical contexts, including pancreatic and non-pancreatic diseases. This editorial reviews the key implications of this revised definition for clinical practice, emphasizing a comprehensive diagnostic approach based on clinical context, pancreatic function tests, symptoms, and nutritional markers. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of rational prescription of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), aiming to optimize patient outcomes while avoiding unnecessary treatment. This updated perspective on PEI promotes more accurate diagnosis, targeted therapy, and improved healthcare resource allocation.</p>","PeriodicalId":21342,"journal":{"name":"Revista Espanola De Enfermedades Digestivas","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Revista Espanola De Enfermedades Digestivas","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.17235/reed.2025.11517/2025","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"GASTROENTEROLOGY & HEPATOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) is a syndrome of maldigestion caused by insufficient intraluminal pancreatic enzyme activity, leading to nutritional deficiencies and impaired quality of life. Recent European guidelines have redefined PEI, recognizing it as a multifactorial condition not limited to reduced pancreatic secretion, but also involving functional digestive failure in various clinical contexts, including pancreatic and non-pancreatic diseases. This editorial reviews the key implications of this revised definition for clinical practice, emphasizing a comprehensive diagnostic approach based on clinical context, pancreatic function tests, symptoms, and nutritional markers. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of rational prescription of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), aiming to optimize patient outcomes while avoiding unnecessary treatment. This updated perspective on PEI promotes more accurate diagnosis, targeted therapy, and improved healthcare resource allocation.
期刊介绍:
La Revista Española de Enfermedades Digestivas, Órgano Oficial de la Sociedad Española de Patología Digestiva (SEPD), Sociedad Española de Endoscopia Digestiva (SEED) y Asociación Española de Ecografía Digestiva (AEED), publica artículos originales, editoriales, revisiones, casos clínicos, cartas al director, imágenes en patología digestiva, y otros artículos especiales sobre todos los aspectos relativos a las enfermedades digestivas.