Acute pancreatitis in Buskerud County, Norway. Incidence and etiology.
BACKGROUND
Data on the incidence of acute pancreatitis in Norway are sparse. Danish studies have shown incidence rates increasing to about 35/100,000 (26-65% alcohol-induced), higher than found in American and British studies.


METHODS
We have prospectively registered all cases of acute pancreatitis during 1 year in the county of Buskerud, with a population of 224,000.


RESULTS
The incidence of acute pancreatitis was 41.5 per 100,000. The median age of the patients was 63 years (range, 21-96 years). The main etiologic factors were gallstone disease (51%) and alcohol abuse (15%), whereas 10% of the cases were classified as idiopathic. Pseudocysts or abscesses developed in 8.8%. The mortality was 6.5%.


CONCLUSIONS
The incidence of acute pancreatitis in this population is comparable to what has been found elsewhere in Scandinavia, but the relative frequency of alcoholic pancreatitis is substantially less.
Halvorsen
F A
FA
Dept. of Medicine, Buskerud Central Hospital, Drammen, Norway.
Ritland
S
S
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D010192:Pancreatic Pseudocyst / Q000150:complications; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D011446:Prospective Studies