Epidemiologic risk factors for patients admitted with chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in the United States

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies of chronic pancreatitis (CP) and its association with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are limited. Understanding demographic and ethno-racial factors may help identify patients at the highest risk for CP and PDAC. AIM: To evaluate the ethno-racial risk factors for CP and its association with PDAC. The secondary aim was to evaluate hospitalization outcomes in patients admitted with CP and PDAC. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used the 2016 and 2017 National Inpatient Sample databases. Patients included in the study had ICD-10 codes for CP and PDAC. The ethnic, socioeconomic, and racial backgrounds of patients with CP and PDAC were analyzed. RESULTS: Hospital admissions for CP was 29 per 100000, and 2890 (0.78%) had PDAC. Blacks [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.13], men (aOR 1.35), age 40 to 59 (aOR 2.60), and being overweight (aOR 1.34) were significantly associated with CP (all with P < 0.01). In patients with CP, Whites (aOR 1.23), higher income, older age (aOR 1.05), and being overweight (aOR 2.40) were all significantly associated with PDAC (all with P < 0.01). Men (aOR 1.81) and Asians (aOR 15.19) had significantly increased mortality (P < 0.05). Hispanics had significantly increased hospital length of stay (aOR 5.24) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Based on this large, nationwide analysis, black men between 40-59 years old and overweight are at significantly increased risk for admission with CP. White men older than 40 years old and overweight with higher income were found to have significant associations with CP and PDAC. This discrepancy may reflect underlying differences in healthcare access and utilization among different socioeconomic and ethno-racial groups.