Pancreatitis associated with alcoholic liver disease

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The prevalence with which alcoholic pancreatitis is associated with alcoholic liver disease is unclear. To investigate this association further, we have reviewed the autopsy findings of 1022 patients who died from alcoholic liver disease and compared these findings with those from 352 patients who died from cardiac or pulmonary disease. All patients who died from liver disease had a history of chronic alcoholism with clinical and biochemical evidence of severe liver damage. Death resulted from hepatic coma, gastrointestinal bleeding, or infection. Liver disease patients were classified into two groups: (1) those with cirrhosis (77%) and (2) those without cirrhosis but with acute and/or chronic sclerosing hyaline necrosis (23%). Anatomic and histopathologic changes characteristic of chronic pancreatitis were found in 203 patients in approximately the same frequency (20% and 18%, respectively) in both groups. Acute pancreatitis without chronic lesions was observed in 8% and 10% of both groups, respectively. In the control group of 352 autopsies (122 cardiac and 230 pulmonary patients), the overall prevalence of pancreatitis, at 2.6%, was significantly (PPPPP<0.01) observed.