Chronic pancreatitis in Warsaw

The purpose of the study was an approximation of the incidence and prevalence of chronic pancreatitis (CP) in Warsaw (Poland) and the dietary habits before the onset of the disease. The number of CP cases treated in the District Hospital and in out-patients department was calculated. The incidence and prevalence of CP were analysed in ratio to 100,000 of the population of the Warsaw Bródno district. In the years 1982-1987 a group of 64 patients with CP were observed. The incidence and prevalence in 1987 were 5.0 and 17.0, respectively. Alcohol is the cause of about 73% of CP cases and its mean intake unit the development of the disease was 68 ml daily for about 16 years. Patients with CP consumed more protein and fats before the onset of CP in comparison with the general population in Poland. The intake of protein and fats before diagnosis of CP was 113 g/day and 175 g/day, respectively. The mean consumption of protein and fats in Poland in 1983 was 89 g/day and 117 g/day, respectively.