Exocrine pancreatic disease is thought to be uncommon; however, several conditions are associated with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and it perhaps occurs more frequently than is conventionally expected. A reliable, patient-friendly, cheap and easy to use test for exocrine pancreatic disease is yet to be established. This Review examines the role of fecal-elastase 1 testing in detecting exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in a number of conditions and determines the value of pancreatic enzyme supplementation in these settings.
- John S. Leeds
- Kofi Oppong
- David S. Sanders