Chronic pancreatitis in the elderly in Japan

Background/aim: Although the elderly comprise an increasingly large segment of the population, little has been written about chronic pancreatitis in this age group in Japan. In this study, we analyzed the clinical features of elderly Japanese patients with chronic pancreatitis and compared them with those of late-onset chronic pancreatitis patients in Western countries.

Methods: Subjects were 182 patients (162 males and 20 females) with chronic pancreatitis. They were divided into two groups: early-onset group (onset <65 years of age, n = 119) and late-onset group (onset > or =65 years of age, n = 63). Clinical findings and follow-up data were examined for each group.

Results: Alcohol abuse was the most common etiological factor in early-onset pancreatitis patients. In the late-onset group, the frequencies of idiopathic and autoimmune pancreatitis increased. Furthermore, the age at onset of autoimmune pancreatitis was >60 years in 94% of the cases. The late-onset group was more likely to have painless disease, and calcification of the pancreas and steatorrhea were rare in this group. Major causes of death were malignancy and malnutrition in each group.

Conclusions: Early- and late-onset chronic pancreatitis showed different clinical features. Clinicians should consider autoimmune pancreatitis in the differential diagnosis in elderly patients with obstructive jaundice.