Contrary to popular belief, chronic pancreatitis caused by alcohol consumption occurs at much lower rates compared to other causes, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Physicians studied patients with CP and controls enrolled in the North American Pancreatitis Study. Among the groups, 44.5 percent of patients had CP due to alcohol consumption, 26.9 percent had non-alcohol related CP and 28.6 percent had CP of unknown cause.
The researchers found that the current etiologic profile of CP patients evaluated at U.S. referral centers is quite different from historical data. Although alcohol remains the most common cause, a larger fraction of patients was considered to have non-alcoholic etiologies, and in more than a quarter of patients, no identifiable cause of disease. Among the risk factors assessed, smoking was independently associated with idiopathic CP.
Read the AGA news release about alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis.
Read other coverage about the GI studies:
- Aspirin's Ability to Protect Against Colorectal Cancer Depends on Inflammatory Pathways
- Patients With Gallstones More Likely to Die Within 20 Years of Diagnosis
- Medicare Claims Sensitivity Low for Tumor Detection and Incomplete Colonoscopy
Physicians studied patients with CP and controls enrolled in the North American Pancreatitis Study. Among the groups, 44.5 percent of patients had CP due to alcohol consumption, 26.9 percent had non-alcohol related CP and 28.6 percent had CP of unknown cause.
The researchers found that the current etiologic profile of CP patients evaluated at U.S. referral centers is quite different from historical data. Although alcohol remains the most common cause, a larger fraction of patients was considered to have non-alcoholic etiologies, and in more than a quarter of patients, no identifiable cause of disease. Among the risk factors assessed, smoking was independently associated with idiopathic CP.
Read the AGA news release about alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis.
Read other coverage about the GI studies:
- Aspirin's Ability to Protect Against Colorectal Cancer Depends on Inflammatory Pathways
- Patients With Gallstones More Likely to Die Within 20 Years of Diagnosis
- Medicare Claims Sensitivity Low for Tumor Detection and Incomplete Colonoscopy