Clinical characteristics of chronic pancreatitis according to the history of pancreatitis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is characterized clinically by a broad spectrum of variable features depending on many factors such as etiology, stage of the disease, and the presence of local complications. The aims of this study were to investigate the clinical aspect of CP and to analyze the characteristics according to the history of pancreatitis. METHODS: Eighty nine medical records from the patients who were diagnosed as CP at Korea University Ansan Hospital from January 1997 through December 2007 were reviewed retrospectively. After patients were divided into two groups according to the previous history of pancreatitis: the group I (n=34, no history of pancreatitis) and II (n=43, history of pancreatitis more than once), the clinical characteristics of two groups were compared. RESULTS: The mean age was 50+/-13.2 years and the male to female ratio was 5:1. Alcohol was the cause of CP in 71.9%, and 23.6% had no evident cause. Age (53.4+/-15.5 vs. 46.2+/-11.5, p=0.021), etiology (idiopathic 41.2% vs. 11.6%, p=0.004), and the presence of abdominal pain (73.5% vs. 100%, p=0.030) were significantly different between group I and II. However, in comparison of other factors that reflected the advanced stage of CP such as presence of pancreatic calcification, complications, and Cambridge grade on ERCP, there was no significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: Since CP which present, as the first manifestation shows much an advanced stage, the method for early diagnosis of CP is particularly needed.