Difference between acute and chronic pancreatitis is?: (A) Acute pancreatitis has reversible changes, (B) Alcohol causes only acute pancreatitis, (C) Chronic pancreatitis shows no signs of inflammation], (D) Acute pancreatitis affects mainly younger population
Answer is A. ANSWER: (A) Acute pancreatitis has reversible changesREF: Harrison's 18th ed chapter 313Chronic pancreatitis is a disease process characterized by irreversible damage to the pancreas as distinct from the reversible changes noted in acute pancreatitis. The condition is best defined by the presence of histologic abnormalities, including chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and progressive destruction of both exocrine and eventually endocrine tissueAlcohol is implicated in both acute and chronic pancreatitis and both can occur in young adults.