Quality of life comparison between smokers and non-smokers with chronic pancreatitis

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of smoking on quality of life in patients with chronic pancreatitis.

This is a cross-sectional study of chronic pancreatitis patients followed at a single institution comparing smokers with non-smokers. The primary outcome was quality of life and secondary outcomes included demographics, drug and alcohol use, anxiety and depression, pain level, nutritional status, and metabolic factors.

48 smokers and 45 non-smokers participated in this study. Smokers had a worse overall quality of life and higher rates of opioid addiction and depression than non-smokers. Smokers also had less racial diversity, lower education levels, and higher amounts of narcotic use than non-smokers. Furthermore, smokers had a lower BMI and a higher proportional use of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy. Smoking was found to be independently associated with worse quality of life on multivariable regression.

The worse overall quality of life and higher rates of depression and anxiety create cause for concern in chronic pancreatitis patients who smoke. Smoking cessation should be an important target in chronic pancreatitis patients. Multicenter, multiethnic studies are needed to further elucidate this relationship.