Novel Insights Into Macrophage Diversity During the Course of Pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis (AP) accounts for the highest number of hospital admissions for a benign gastrointestinal disease. Although most of the cases are mild and patients recover without specific treatment, 20% of cases follow a moderate to severe course with risk for multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and death and no medical treatment is available.1,2 Pancreatitis-related mortality depends to a large extent on the presence and duration of systemic inflammatory response syndrome,3 which, if persistent, will result in multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.