Chronic Pancreatitis

Abstract

Chronic pancreatitis comprises a spectrum of pancreatic disorders associated with chronic, but variable pain, and marked later in the course of the disease by the onset of fibrosis with stricture formation. The end-stage is that of exocrine and endocrine failure. The disease has an unpredictable clinical course and can be silent and progressive in some, yet is associated with abdominal pain and minimal morphological damage in others. Because of the variable nature of chronic pancreatitis, its prevalence is unclear. In northern Germany, Lankisch has maintained a population-based registry of patients with pancreatic disease who reside in the county of Lunenberg. In this population, the estimated frequency is approximately 7 cases per 100,000 per year. A similar figure has been quoted for Copenhagen, but no such data is available in the UK. The best estimates suggest a prevalence of no more than 30 cases per 100,000 population. A study from Finland reported a four-fold increase in alcohol consumption between 1960 and 1989 associated with a 20% increase in the incidence of chronic pancreatitis, from 10.4 to 13.4 cases per 100,000. Thus, the disease is related to the level of alcohol consumption in the community.