Autoimmun Pancreatitis – A rare form of chronic Pancreatitis

Introduction: Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is a rare and uncommon form of pancreatitis, characterized by chronic inflammation. It's pathomechanism is still not clear. Elevated serum IgG4 immunoglobulin concentrations, some autoantibodies and the presence of IgG4 positive immune cells were observed. The clinical picture of AIP is not characteristic, abdominal pain, weight loss and obstructive jaundice can be observed. AIP is sometimes associated with other autoimmune disorders, such as Sjögren's syndrome, Riedel thyroiditis, sclerosing cholangitis, and inflammatory bowel disease. The clinical relevance is that it can be mistakenly diagnosed as pancreatic cancer. Both have similar signs and symptoms, but need very different treatments, so it is very important to distinguish one from the other. On the other hand in contrast with the majority of chronic pancreatitis it can be efficiently treated, even complete remission can be achieved on steroid therapy. Aim: Through the case of our 42- year old patient we would like to present the characteristics of this heterogeneous and fibroinflammatory disorder of the pancreas.