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JAMA. 1981;246(2):116.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Pancreatic secretions contain zinc, and assessing changes in zinc levels in these secretions may be useful in diagnosing pancreatic disorders, say investigators at the VA Medical Center and University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville.

Usually pancreatic function is assessed by a test that involves measurement of the uptake of bicarbonate after stimulation with secretin. But C. R. Tillman, MD, a gastroenterology fellow at the university, and associates reported during Digestive Disease Week meetings in New York that "bicarbonate measurements are technically difficult, and delay in making the determination may lead to inaccurate results. Zinc output in pancreatic secretions is depressed in patients with chronic pancreatitis. Zinc is stable and its level can be assayed rapidly and simply by flame atomic absorption spectrometry."

The report was based on measurements of zinc levels in duodenal secretions of ten patients with pancreatic disease, 12 patients with other abdominal disorders, and six normal . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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