Observations on acute pancreatitis. A retrospective clinical study

Abstract

Abstract Aetiological features were sought in a retrospective review of 93 cases of acute pancreatitis diagnosed and treated in Edinburgh hospitals between 1961 and 1970. The incidence of alcoholism or precipitation by an excess of alcohol was 23 per cent, a figure which accords with reports from other parts of the world but which has no precedent in Great Britain. Possible reasons for this are discussed. There were no other unusual features. The need for a prospective study to reassess our current experience in Great Britain is stressed.