Chicago, IL - infoZine - JAMA - The occurrence of pancreatitis (an
inflammation of the pancreas usually characterized by abdominal pain) has
increased in recent decades, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. In addition, the
risk of developing the disease may be higher in those who smoke more. Acute and
chronic pancreatitis are believed to be commonly caused by gallstone disease and
excessive alcohol use, respectively. Studies have suggested that smoking may be
associated with damage to the pancreas, but since smoking may be associated with
alcohol use and risk of gallstone disease, it is difficult to note whether
smoking is an independent risk factor for the disease.
Janne Schurmann Tolstrup, M.Sc., Ph.D., of the National Institute of Public
Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, and colleagues analyzed
results from physical examinations and lifestyle habit self-administered
questionnaires of 17,905 participants (9,573 women and 8,332 men) to determine
if smoking was associated with an increased risk of acute or chronic
pancreatitis independent of alcohol consumption and gallstone disease.
Participants were followed up for an average of 20.2 years.
“Overall, 58 percent of the women and 68 percent of the men were current
smokers, 15 percent of the women and 19 percent of the men were ex-smokers and
28 percent of the women and 13 percent of the men had never smoked,” the authors
write. “Participants who at baseline reported smoking or being previous smokers
had higher risks of developing acute and chronic pancreatitis compared with
non-smokers.” By the end of the study, 235 participants (113 women and 122 men)
had developed acute (160 cases) or chronic (97 cases) pancreatitis, with some
participants having developed both. About 46 percent of pancreatitis cases were
attributable to smoking in this group.
Although alcohol intake was associated with increased risk of pancreatitis, the
risk of pancreatitis associated with smoking was independent of alcohol and
gallstone disease.
“Apart from the epidemiologic evidence of an association between smoking and
development of acute and chronic pancreatitis, a biological effect of smoking
seems plausible because both animal studies and human studies have demonstrated
changes of the pancreas and in pancreatic functioning after exposure to tobacco
smoke,” they conclude.
This study was supported by grants from the Danish National Board of Health and
the Danish Medical Research Council.
Source : JAMA
