Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency
What are the causes of Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI)?
People with EPI don’t have enough pancreatic (digestive) enzymes to break down foods and absorb nutrients which often leads to malnutrition. Know what are the possible causes of EPI here.
Overview
EPI occurs when your pancreas doesn’t make enough digestive enzymes. Sometimes the enzymes don’t work as they should.
Enzymes are proteins that cause chemical reactions in your body. Digestive enzymes break down food, allowing your body to get nutrients. Children with cystic fibrosis ( a genetic (inherited) disease that causes sticky, thick mucus to build up in organs, including the lungs and the pancreas) and adults with chronic pancreatitis are most likely to have EPI.
What causes exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI)?
The pancreas is part of your digestive system. It makes enzymes that aid digestion and help your body absorb nutrients.
When you have EPI, you don’t have enough digestive enzymes. Foods pass through your intestines in a more complete (undigested) state. As a result, your body doesn’t get the nutrients it needs from foods.
The different types of pancreatic enzymes include:
- Amylase, which breaks down carbohydrates.
- Lipase, which breaks down fats.
- Protease and elastase, which break down proteins.
What causes exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) in adults?
Chronic pancreatitis is the main cause of EPI in adults. Pancreatitis causes inflammation and swelling of the pancreas. Over time, chronic inflammation can damage the pancreatic cells that make digestive enzymes.
Other causes of EPI in adults include:
- Celiac disease
- Diabetes
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Pancreatic cancer
- Surgery on the digestive tract, including weight loss surgery
What causes exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) in children?
Cystic fibrosis is the top cause of EPI in infants and children. Children inherit cystic fibrosis from a parent. It causes thick mucus to build up in the lungs, making breathing difficult. Mucus also collects in the pancreas, which keeps digestive enzymes from reaching the small intestine.
Another inherited condition, Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS), also causes EPI in children. With SDS, the part of the pancreas that makes enzymes doesn’t work properly.
Learn about the symptoms of EPI in detail here.
