Relative Rise of Serum IgG4 Levels After Steroid Therapy for Autoimmune Pancreatitis Predicts the Likelihood of Relapse

Objectives Serum IgG4 level is a useful diagnostic marker of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP); however, it is difficult to predict relapse. We investigated whether a change in serum IgG4 is predictive of AIP relapse during maintenance therapy. Methods Seventy-three patients with AIP treated with steroids were divided into 3 groups according to their initial serum IgG4 levels: level 1 group (>2-fold upper limit), level 2 group (1- to 2-fold upper...