[Chronic pancreatitis and primary hyperparathyroidism]

The frequency of acute or chronic pancreatitis in primary hyperparathyroidism has decreased from the former 5-10% to 1-2% thanks to earlier diagnosis and operative treatment. Chronic pancreatitis, which occurs only in prolonged primary hyperparathyroidism, should therefore virtually disappear. We investigated this topic in a prospective long term study of chronic pancreatitis (1963-1992). Over the last three decades 336 patients with chronic pancreatitis have been studied at regular intervals. 245 suffered from alcohol-induced (84% with calcifications) and 91 from non-alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis (77% with calcifications). The average period of observation in the group with non-alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis was 10.6 years. Primary hyperparathyroidism was found in 6 patients (4 male, 2 female), i.e. 6.6% of non-alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis (100% with calcifications). They were evenly distributed over the 30 years' study period. 3 patients had acute attacks of pancreatitis prior to the diagnosis of chronic calcific pancreatitis (2 months, 3 + 8 years). In 3 patients with primary painless chronic calcific pancreatitis the condition was diagnosed twice incidentally and once because of diabetes mellitus. Chronic pancreatitis was diagnosed 3 times before primary hyperparathyroidism (8.3 +/- 2.1 years), once simultaneously and twice afterwards (2 + 14 years). In three patients chronic pancreatitis was initially misinterpreted as alcohol-induced. Severe exocrine pancreatic insufficiency was present in 4 of 5 patients (no data in one), and diabetes mellitus in 3 of 6 patients. At the time of diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism, mean serum calcium was 3.08 +/- 0.43 mmol/l.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)