GOOD LONG-TERM RESULTS IN PATIENTS SURVIVING SEVERE ACUTE-PANCREATITIS

Thirty-seven patients treated for severe acute pancreatitis were inves tigated a mean of 6.2 years after the attack; 30 were found to be in g ood condition and 24 were working normally. Two-thirds of previously h eavy drinkers had either reduced their intake considerably or become a bstainers. The main complication observed on follow-up was diabetes me llitus, which affected 20 patients and required insulin treatment in n ine. Of the remaining patients, four were taking oral antidiabetic age nts and seven were on a strict diabetic diet. Before severe acute panc reatitis none had been diabetic. All patients who underwent resection of the pancreas developed diabetes. In 21 of 24 patients with overt or imminent diabetes, pancreatitis had been primarily alcoholic in origi n. Polyneuropathy, as diagnosed by clinical signs and/or neurophysiolo gical tests, was observed in six patients, all of them heavy drinkers. It is concluded that patients with severe acute pancreatitis have a h igh chance of returning to normal activity and productive work. These results serve to encourage all those involved to persist with the exac ting work involved in treating such patients.