Chronic pancreatitis rarely follows repeated acute attacks. It seems instead to be a separate disorder that can result from mucus plugs and precipitation of calcium salts in the smaller pancreatic ducts. The progressive loss of acinar and islet cell function follows, presumably as a consequence of continuous inflammation resulting from the ductal blockage. Progressive calcification, which at times results in the formation of stones in the major pancreatic ducts, has been attributed to diminished production of an acinar protein that normally holds calcium in solution. Alcoholism and certain hereditary factors account for almost all of the cases of chronic pancreatitis ...(100 of 18076 words)