Demographic Features, Etiology Trend and Clinical Characteristics of Chronic Pancreatitis: A Respective Study of 346 Cases in Peking Union Medical College Hospital

  Objective  To investigate the demographic features, etiology and clinical characteristics of chronic pancreatitis (CP).

  Methods  We retrospectively analyzed the records of 346 CP cases hospitalized in Peking Union Medical College Hospital during the period of January 1983 to December 2008, summarizing the demographic features, clinical manifestations, causes of disease, and complications of these patients.

  Results  The 346 CP cases included 267 males and 79 females (M/F ratio=3.38:1). The mean age of onset was (44.34±15.88) years. Most of the patients were Han Chinese (94.80%, 328/346), and a large proportion were cadres (32.08%, 111/346). Both the number of CP cases and its proportion in the total number of inpatients in the hospital increased rapidly. Alcohol (40.17%) and cholelithiasis (41.04%) were the most common risk factors of CP. CP of different etiologies had all increased, especially alcoholic CP, growing by an mean annual rate of 108.7%. 84.39%(292/346) of the patients presented with abdominal pain, 56.07% (194/346) had weight loss, 24.86% (86/346)had jaundice (all obstructive). Diabetes (25.14%, 87/346) was the most common complication. The median time of CP onset to occurrence of diabetes and fatty diarrhea were 1.00 year and 280.03 months, respectively. Diabetes occurred earlier in patients with autoimmune pancreatitis than those with idiopathic pancreatitis (P=0.020).

  Conclusions  The incidence of CP is growing rapidly in China, with alcoholic CP increasing faster than biliary CP. The most common symptoms of CP are abdominal pain and weight loss, while the most common complication is diabetes. A patient database and regular follow-up visits could contribute to better understanding of epidemiological patterns of CP and improvement of its diagnosis and treatment.