Chronic Pancreatitis - Causes

Causes

• Alcohol
• Tropical (nutritional)
• Hereditary
• Trypsinogen and inhibitory protein defects
• Cystic fibrosis
• Idiopathic
• Trauma
• Hypercalcaemia
• Calcific stones

In developed countries, the most common causes of chronic pancreatitis are alcohol and idiopathic.

Across the rest of the world malnutrition and associated dietary factors have been implicated. In a small group of patients chronic pancreatitis has been shown to be hereditary, inherited as an autosomal dominant condition with variable penetrance. Almost all patients with cystic fibrosis have established chronic pancreatitis, usually from birth. Cystic fibrosis gene mutations have also been identified in patients with chronic pancreatitis but in whom there were no other manifestations of cystic fibrosis.

Obstruction of the pancreatic duct because of either a benign or malignant process may result in chronic pancreatitis. Congenital abnormalities of the pancreatic duct, in particular pancreas divisum, have been implicated.″