Treatment of Autoimmune Pancreatitis / 대한췌담도학회지

ABSTRACT

Autoimmune pancreatitis is a rare type of chronic pancreatitis. Unlike chronic pancreatitis caused by other causes, autoimmune pancreatitis is characterized by a dramatic response to corticosteroid and immunomodulator therapy. Two most widely used drugs for treatment of autoimmune pancreatitis are corticosteroid and immunomodulators. Corticosteroid is the first line drug for autoimmune pancreatitis and used for remission induction. Remission induction rate of corticosteroid therapy is more than 90%, but relapse rate is approximately 30%. Centers in Japan and Republic of Korea prefer low-dose corticosteroid for maintenance. On the other hand, centers in North America and Europe prefer immunomodulators for maintenance. In the future, well-designed studies on methods to decrease relapse rate of autoimmune pancreatitis and effective use of immunomodulators are needed.