Chronic pancreatitis in Copenhagen. A retrospective study of 64 consecutive patients.

A longitudinal study of 64 patients with chronic pancreatitis is presented. The patients were followed up for a median period of 4 years. Pain was the dominant symptom in 43 of the patients, but only 5 patients had pancreatic resection because of pain. Alcoholism was the etiology in 45 patients. Complications were common: 34 patients developed steatorrhea and 29 diabetes. Two major groups of associated diseases contributed to a high morbidity in chronic pancreatitis: 24 patients presented with duodenal ulcer, and 8 developed malignant tumors. This number is significantly higher than expected in a matched population (P less than 0.01). Twenty-six of the patients died within the observation period from complications of chronic pancreatitis (38%), from malignant neoplasms (15%), or from other causes (46%). The calculated mortality rate after 7 years of observation was close to 50%. Most patients were recruited from the lower social classes, and most were unemployed. We conclude that chronic pancreatitis in Copenhagen is associated with a high morbidity, a high mortality, and a poor social prognosis.