title: Demographic and clinicopathological profile of patients with chronic pancreatitis in a tertiary referral teaching hospital of West Bengal: Personal experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a paucity of data on the demographic and clinicopathological profiles of patients with chronic pancreatitis from the eastern part of India. This study documents the demographic and clinicopathological profiles of patients with chronic pancreatitis presenting to a general surgery unit of a tertiary referral hospital of Kolkata.
  
  
  METHODS
  The records of 145 patients presenting with chronic pancreatitis over a 5-year period were scrutinized and their demographics, clinical profile, and complications and morphological changes of the pancreas are described.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 145 patients, more than 50% were under the age of 30 years. Males were affected more frequently than females (M/F = 3.8:1). While idiopathic pancreatitis was the most common form of chronic pancreatitis (41.4%), alcohol was found to be the most common etiology (37.9%). Pain was the most common presenting symptom (n = 143; 98.6%). Sixty-five subjects (45%) had diabetes of which 32 subjects were insulin-dependent. On contrast-enhanced computed tomography, ductal dilatation was seen in 80 (55.17%) subjects, while ductal calculi and ductal dilatation in 54 cases (37.2%). Parenchymal calcification was seen in 45 patients of whom 40 patients (89%) were under the age of 30 years. Pseudocyst was the most common complication (n = 16) followed by biliary obstruction (n = 8) and portal hypertension (n = 4). Patients with alcoholic pancreatitis had significantly higher frequency of severe abdominal pain, diabetes, and local complications as compared to the other forms of pancreatitis in our study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Idiopathic pancreatitis was the most common form of chronic pancreatitis in this study, followed by alcoholic pancreatitis and then tropical pancreatitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research and Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital, 244 A J C Bose Road, Kolkata, 700 020, India. prosantabh@rediffmail.com.
authors.forename: Prosanta Kumar
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Bhattacharjee
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research and Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital, 244 A J C Bose Road, Kolkata, 700 020, India.
authors.forename: Aishik
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mukerjee
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research and Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital, 244 A J C Bose Road, Kolkata, 700 020, India.
authors.forename: Chandranath
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Adhikary
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D050500:Pancreatitis, Chronic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Chronic pancreatitis; Clinicopathological profile; Complications; Demography; Diabetes; Imaging; Risk factors