A patient with a 10-year history of alcoholism was admitted to the critical care unit with the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. The physiologic alteration that occurs in acute pancreatitis is
a. uncontrolled hypoglycemia caused by an increased release of insulin.
b. loss of storage capacity for senescent red blood cells.
c. premature activation of inactive digestive enzymes, resulting in autodigestion.
d. release of glycogen into the serum, resulting in hyperglycemia.
C
In acute pancreatitis, the normally inactive digestive enzymes become prematurely activated within the pancreas itself, creating the central pathophysiologic mechanism of acute pancreatitis, namely autodigestion.
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Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)