The incidence of alcohol-associated pancreatitis and liver disease may have risen among adolescents and young adults over the past two decades, with female patients experiencing the sharpest increase, according to a recent retrospective population-based cohort study.
In the study, published in JAMA Network Open, investigators analyzed 11,508 adolescents and young adults (AYAs) aged 13 to 39 years residing in Ontario, Canada, who presented to emergency departments or were hospitalized for alcohol-related organ damage between 2003 and 2021. Pancreatic complications were the most common (29%), followed by liver complications (19%) and other organ involvement (52%), including the stomach, adrenal glands, nervous system, muscles, heart, and fetus.
The incidences of alcohol-associated pancreatitis and liver disease increased annually by a respective 12% and 9% in female patients and 7% and 6% in male patients. In contrast, alcohol-related complications in other organ systems decreased by 1% annually in male patients but increased by 2% per year in female patients.
Among patients with pancreatic complications, 92% had acute pancreatitis. These patients were more likely to be male (71%), reside in urban areas (88%), and require hospitalization (77%). In contrast, 46% of those with liver-related complications were treated in emergency departments only.
"To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe the epidemiology of alcohol-associated pancreatitis among AYAs. Similar to [alcohol-associated liver disease], male and female [patients] may have a different risk of acute and chronic pancreatitis for the same level of alcohol exposure," said lead study author Oril Chapman, MD, of the Department of Medicine at Queen’s University at Kingston in Ontario, Canada, and colleagues.
The study was limited by the absence of data on alcohol consumption quantity and disease severity at presentation. The findings underscored the role of gastroenterologists in managing alcohol-related diseases and suggested a need for integrated addiction medicine approaches in clinical practice.
Full authors' disclosures are available in the publication.
