Abstract

The introduction of enteric coated pancreatic enzyme supplements in the early 1980s was undoubtedly one of the major advances in the care of children with cystic fibrosis. Further refinements in the presentation of these preparations inevitably followed, to improve patient acceptability and compliance. The emergence of fibrosing colonopathy took clinicians dealing with cystic fibrosis completely by surprise, and in the last two years there has been a gradual appreciation that as far as pancreatic enzyme products are concerned 'More is not necessarily better'. However, it is encouraging that, in the UK, there have been no histologically confirmed cases in children receiving high strength pancreatic enzyme preparations since July 1994. Hopefully this trend will continue and the causal factors will be defined, ensuring that this serious complication can be effectively prevented in the future.