[Geriatric pancreatitis]

There is some doubt whether a clinical entity like old age pancreatitis exists. According to Ammann, a so-called senile chronic pancreatitis can be differentiated from chronic alcohol-induced pancreatitis. With increasing incidence, secondary concomitant pancreatitis is seen in old patients, initiated by disorders of the biliary system. Whereas in senile chronic pancreatitis therapy consists of enzyme substitution and compensation of deficiency syndromes, therapy of secondary pancreatitis is aimed at basic disorders like choledocholithiasis, papillary sclerosis and stenosis, juxtapapillary diverticula and peptic ulcers in stomach and duodenum by surgical or endoscopic-operative means.