Clinical Chemistry, Vol 26, 214-218, Copyright © 1980 by American Association for Clinical Chemistry

Radioimmunoassay for detection of latent chronic alcoholic pancreatitis, an unrecognized clinical syndrome

ST Nerenberg, R Prasad, LD Pedersen and NS Biskup

We developed a radioimmunoassay procedure in which we used an antibody monospecific for pancreatic acinar antigen, to sensitively and specifically test for the presence of subclinical (latent) alcoholic pancreatitis. The antigen was isolated, purified, and partially characterized. Results of testing appropriate populations of patients support the idea that chronic alcoholism is associated with chronic, subclinical damage to the pancreas and concomitant continuous release of a pancreatic acinar protein into the peripheral circulation, where it can be detected and quantitated. About 40% of the samples from chronic alcoholics (whether during a bout of acute alcoholism or during abstinence) demonstrated the circulating antigen, strongly suggesting that those alcoholics who will develop symptomatic, chronic alcoholic pancreatitis can be readily detected during the non-symptomatic stage.