Although the gene has not yet been identified, using the genetic markers we've located that map near the gene, we can tell with 95 percent accuracy if a person has inherited the high risk gene. Inheritance of hereditary pancreatitis appears to be very complex. Information obtained through interviews, questionnaires, and blood samples, which were collected with the assistance of a family member who is a nurse, is helping researchers to piece together the genetic puzzle. Family bibles and other family records have enabled the team to construct a family tree of 500 relatives spanning eight generations. This family has been incredibly helpful.
Hereditary pancreatitis occurs in pockets throughout the world.
Hence, in some areas, like the location of the study family, it is quite common, whereas in other geographic regions it is very rare. The disease typically begins between the ages of five and 10 with an acute attack of abdominal pain. The pancreas becomes inflamed as the digestive enzymes intended for the intestine leak out of the cells that produce them and the pancreas begins digesting itself. After repeated attacks and scarring of the organ, a chronic condition develops that is characterized by constant pain, nausea and vomiting, as well as by weight loss due to malabsorption of food. It often leads to severe complications, including diabetes and pancreatic cancer, which occurs at a rate of more than 50 times higher than in the general population.