Pancreatic atrophy and exocrine insufficiency associate with the presence of diabetes in chronic pancreatitis patients, but additional mediators are operative

Diabetes mellitus is a frequent complication of chronic pancreatitis (CP) and has traditionally been considered to develop as a consequence of pancreatic islet cell loss. However, additional mechanisms may be operative including accumulation of pancreatic fat and fibrosis. We used advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study pancreatic morphology and exocrine function in a reference population and in CP patients with and without...