[Chronic calcifying pancreatitis in Brazil: analysis of 92 cases (authors transl)]

The analysis of 92 proved cases of chronic calcifying pancreatitis showed that 82 were males and 10 were females. Seventy-five out of the 92 patients were chronic alcoholics with a mean age of 38.2 years at the onset of symptoms and with a predominance of males over females (72:3). For the 17 non-alcoholic patients the mean age at the onset was 26.4 years, with almost the same number of males and females (10:7). The differences in age and sex suggest that different factors are responsible for the pathogenesis of the disease. Clinical, surgical and anatomical features of chronic calcifying pancreatitis are discussed. The incidence of pancreatic carcinoma in our patients is higher than in the general population.