The authors examined 55 patients (14 women, 41 men) with chronic pancreatitis in the quiescent stage and a control group of 31 healthy subjects. They assessed the malondialdehyde and selenium serum levels, and products of lipid peroxidation by means of the luminometric method. In patients with chronic pancreatitis a significantly raised malondialdehyde level was found (4.51 nmol/ml, controls 3.80 nmol/ml p < 0.001) and a significant increase of the production of active oxidant substances (peak – patients 1.93 mV, controls 1.12 mV p < 0.05, integral – patients 3752, controls 2163, p < 0.01). The authors found also a significantly reduced selenium level in 85.5 % patients with chronic pancreatitis (patients 33.1 mg/l, controls 61.0 mg/l, p < 0.01). The authors conclude that patients with chronic pancreatitis have a considerable oxidant activity even in the stage of remission of the disease. The selenium deficiency is probably the result of combined increased requirement and inadequate intake. The resulting disbalance between formation of reactive oxidant substan- ces and their suppressors along with other factors may play a part in the maintenance of chronicity of the pathological process.

        Key words: chronic pancreatitis – selenium – reactive oxidant substance