Pancreatic steatosis – a clinically serious disease?

Pancreatic steatosis is a clinical term for fat buildup in the pancreas and is common in older and/ or obese patients because it‘s closely linked to metabolic syndrome. The pancreas plays a key role in regulating blood sugar levels by secreting insulin and other hormones. Fat infiltration of the pancreas can lead to impaired function. Prevalence increases with age and obesity. Its clinical implications are not as widely discussed as those of hepatic steatosis, which is considered its most significant predictive factor. Pancreatic steatosis has not yet been fully accepted by the wider professional community as a separately defined dis­ease. However, due to its close link to type 2 diabetes mellitus, it may contribute to the development or worsening of insulin resistance, cardiovascular dis­ease, and acute pancreatitis, and its association with the risk of developing pancreatic cancer is also being investigated. Given the growing obesity pandemic, increasing life expectancy, and ever-improving and more accessible dia­gnostic methods, its incidence can be expected to increase in the future. This brings new challenges in terms of the need to establish fol­low-up care and treatment for these patients. Further monitoring and research in this area is still necessary, as there are still only a limited number of studies addressing the precise pathophysiological mechanisms between pancreatic steatosis and its clinical impact on patients. Keywords pancreatic steatosis, pancreas, hepatic steatosis, metabolic syndrome, obesity, chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic carcinoma