©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther. Nov 6, 2015; 6(4): 199-206
Published online Nov 6, 2015. doi: 10.4292/wjgpt.v6.i4.199
Published online Nov 6, 2015. doi: 10.4292/wjgpt.v6.i4.199
Autoimmune pancreatitis and cholangitis
Niraj Jani, James Buxbaum, Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033-1370, United States
Author contributions: Jani N and Buxbaum J contributed equally to this work; they performed a comprehensive chronological review of this topic, prepared the figures, and wrote the paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Correspondence to: James Buxbaum, MD, Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, D and T Building Room B4H100, 1983 Marengo Street, Los Angeles, Ca 90033-1370, United States. jbuxbaum@usc.edu
Telephone: +1-323-4095371 Fax: +1-323-4418352
Received: April 28, 2015
Peer-review started: May 6, 2015
First decision: June 2, 2015
Revised: June 22, 2015
Accepted: August 25, 2015
Article in press: August 31, 2015
Published online: November 6, 2015
Processing time: 198 Days and 11.2 Hours
Peer-review started: May 6, 2015
First decision: June 2, 2015
Revised: June 22, 2015
Accepted: August 25, 2015
Article in press: August 31, 2015
Published online: November 6, 2015
Processing time: 198 Days and 11.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Autoimmune pancreatitis is a component of a systemic immunoglobulin G subtype-4 mediated disease which also impacts the bile duct, salivary glands, kidney, and numerous other sites. It presents with jaundice and pancreas mass but it responds promptly to steroids and immunomodulators. A careful diagnostic approach is mandatory as autoimmune pancreatitis and its biliary manifestations closely resemble pancreas cancer and primary sclerosing cholangitis, diseases which have a more ominous course.