Purpose
Pancreatitis – an inflammation of pancreas – is a
severe and costly disease. While many risk factors for pancreatitis are
known, many cases, especially in elderly, are of unknown etiology.
Methods
Risk factors for acute (AP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP) were
assessed in a prospective cohort (n=36,436 women, aged ≥65
years). Exposures were self-reported at baseline. Pancreatitis was
ascertained by linkage to Medicare claims (1986–2004) categorized by
a physician as: “AP”, 1 AP episode (n=511); or
“CP”, 2+ AP or 1+ CP episodes
(n=149).
Results
Multivariable odds ratios (OR) and 95% CI for AP and CP were
calculated using multinomial logistic regression. Alcohol use was not
associated with AP or CP. Heavy smoking (40+ versus 0 pack-years)
was associated with a 2-fold increased OR for CP. For BMI ≥30 versus
<25 kg/m2, the ORs were 1.35 (1.07–1.70) for AP
(p-trend=0.009) and 0.59 (0.37–0.94) for CP
(p-trend=0.01). ORs for AP and CP were increased for HRT use, heart
disease, and hypertension. There were positive significant associations
between protein and total fat intake for CP and AP.
Conclusions
We identified factors associated with AP and CP that may be specific
to older women.