Cholesterol levels are known to increase in nephrotic syndrome or protein-losing nephropathy, hypothyroidism, acute pancreatitis and cholestasis, while decreasing in protein-losing enteropathy, hypoadrenocorticism and in acute inflammatory responses, associated with the production of proinflamatoric cytokines such as TNF-α or IL-1β [12,16]. The gene discussed is IL1B; the disease is acute pancreatitis.