Abstract
Excessive alcohol consumption is a major cause of both acute pancreatitis (AP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP). This study aimed to clarify the alcohol consumption habits in patients with alcoholic pancreatitis in Japan. A questionnaire was created to assess (1) the number of patients with AP and CP between April 1st, 2008 and March 31st, 2009, and (2) the alcohol consumption in patients with alcoholic pancreatitis treated between April 1st, 2006 and March 31st, 2009. The questionnaire was mailed to heads of the 1295 departments of gastroenterology in hospitals certified by the Japanese Society of Gastroenterology. Detailed information regarding alcohol consumption was collected from 316 patients with alcoholic AP (268 males and 48 females) and 528 patients with alcoholic CP (481 males and 47 females). Female patients develop alcoholic pancreatitis at a younger age, with shorter duration and smaller cumulative amounts of alcohol consumption than male patients. Compared to those who achieved complete abstinence, continued drinking as before increased the risk of recurrence within 2.1 years to 6.2-fold. Our results suggested gender differences in patients with alcoholic pancreatitis. Continued alcohol drinking led to the recurrence of pancreatitis.
