Risk factors in patients with chronic pancreatitis in Romania

Chronic pancreatitis is due mostly to alcohol consumption in industrialized countries. However, beside alcohol consumption there are other known etiologic risk factors, some patients combining more of them. The aim of our study was to assess the different etiologic risk factors in patients with chronic pancreatitis in Romania.

There were 94 patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP) enrolled in this prospective study. The diagnosis of CP was established by typical findings on ultrasonography, computed tomography, endoscopic retrograde cholangiography. The visits included a careful history of alcohol use, smoking, drug use, a clinical examination and laboratory tests. The previous hospital records of each patient were reviewed.

Out of the 94 patients, 80 had alcoholic chronic pancreatitis (ACP), 10 idiopathic pancreatitis (ICP), 2 patients had obstructive chronic pancreatitis due to pancreas divisum, 1 patient chronic pancreatitis due to hypertriglyceridemia and 1 patient posttraumatic chronic pancreatitis. The most frequent risk factors were alcohol consumption and smoking, the association of these two factors was found in 91% of patients with ACP and a large proportion of patients continued to smoke after diagnosis was established.

Similar to other countries alcoholic chronic pancreatitis is the most frequent etiology, followed by the idiopathic one. Patients with ICP must be tested for gene mutations in the future. A small proportion of patients have other etiologies like pancreas divisum, which require specific treatment.