Acute and chronic pancreatitis--diseases on the rise: a study of hospital admissions in England 1989/90-1999/2000

BACKGROUND: The number of hospital admissions for acute and chronic pancreatitis increased in Britain from the 1960s to the 1980s. AIMS: To determine time trends in acute and chronic pancreatitis for hospital admissions from 1989/90 to 1999/2000, mortality from 1979 to 1999, and various indices of alcohol consumption. METHODS: Hospital Episode Statistics for admissions were obtained from the Department of Health and mortality data from the Office for National Statistics. Alcohol consumption data were obtained from the General Household Survey. RESULTS: Between 1989/90 and 1999/2000, age-standardized hospital admission rates for acute pancreatitis increased by 43%, whilst those for chronic pancreatitis rose by 100%. The proportions of admissions requiring surgical operations increased for acute pancreatitis, but declined for chronic pancreatitis. Case fatality rates for acute pancreatitis declined, but mortality statistics showed no significant change. The proportion of women who drank more than 14 units of alcohol a week also increased. CONCLUSIONS: There has been a steady increase in admission rates for both acute and chronic pancreatitis over the study period, and these conditions will become an increasingly important part of the workload of the gastroenterologist.