Change of Both Endocrine and Exocrine Insufficiencies After Acute Pancreatitis in Non-Diabetic Patients: A Nationwide Population-Based Study

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is the most common pancreatic disease and consists of an acute inflammation of the pancreas. AP can contribute to endocrine and exocrine insufficiencies in survivors as a result of the key role of the pancreas in both glucose metabolism and nutritional digestion. The aim of this population-based study was to determine the endocrine or exocrine insufficiencies in patients after initial AP with biliary or alcohol-associated causes. We conducted a nationwide cohort study using data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database collected between 2001 and 2010. A total of 12,284 patients with AP were identified. Alcohol-associated AP (odds ratio, 1.894; 95% CI, 1.520–2.268; P < 0.001) and ≥2 admissions for AP (odds ratio, 1.937; 95% CI, 1.483–2.391; P < 0.001) were significantly associated with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus after AP. Further, only alcohol-associated AP (odds ratio, 1.215; 95% CI, 1.133–1.297; P < 0.001) was significantly associated with pancreatic exocrine insufficiency after AP. Additionally, alcohol-associated AP (odds ratio, 1.804; 95% CI, 1.345–2.263; P < 0.001) and ≥2 readmissions for AP (odds ratio, 3.190; 95% CI, 2.317–4.063; P < 0.001) were significantly associated with both exocrine and endocrine insufficiencies after AP. Our data showed that alcohol-associated AP, rather than a biliary cause, contributed to a higher extent to exocrine or endocrine insufficiencies. Furthermore, recurrent AP also led to endocrine insufficiency.