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Updated: Apr 6, 2026
An Obstructive Chronic Pancreatitis Model Established Through Electrocoagulation
Published on: October 31, 2025
Chronic Pancreatitis and Fracture: A Retrospective, Population-Based Veterans Administration Study
Satish Munigala1, Banke Agarwal, Andres Gelrud
1From the *Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO; †Center for Pancreatic Disorders, Division of Gastroenterology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL; and ‡Section of Pancreatic Disorders, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH.
Objectives:
There is increasing evidence that chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a risk factor for osteoporotic fracture, but data on males with CP and fracture prevalence are sparse. We determined the association of sex and age using a large Veterans Administration database.
Methods:
This was a retrospective analysis (1998-2007). Patients with CP (International Classification of Diseases code 577.1) and control subjects (without CP) were identified after exclusions and fracture prevalence (vertebral, hip, and wrist) were recorded.
Results:
453,912 Veterans Administration patients were identified (control subjects: 450,655 and patients with CP: 3257). Mean ages of control subjects and CP were 53.6 and 54.2 years (P < 0.014). Patients with CP had higher odds ratios of total fractures (2.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.00-2.77), vertebral fracture 2.11 (95% CI, 1.44-3.01), hip fracture 3.49 (95% CI, 2.78-4.38), and wrist fracture 1.68 (95% CI, 1.29-2.18) when compared with control subjects. After adjusting for age group and etiology, patients with CP had increased odds of total fractures, vertebral fractures, and hip fractures (P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
In this male-predominate Veterans Administration study, patients with CP were at increased risk of osteoporotic fractures. The risk was higher for hip fracture (>3 times) in patients with CP compared with control subjects. All patients with CP older than 45 years, irrespective of sex, should be screened for bone mineral density loss.
