Pancreatic diseases in children in a north Indian referral hospital.

ABSTRACT

This was a cross-sectional study to determine the profile of pancreatic disorders in 54 children (age <15 years) presenting to a tertiary care center in India. Acute pancreatitis was the most common pancreatic disorder (28/54, 52%). Twenty-three children (43%) were diagnosed to have either chronic calcific (n = 15, 28%) or chronic non-calcific (n = 8, 15%) pancreatitis. Specific etiologic factors could be identified in 64.3% (18/28) of acute pancreatitis and 43.5% (10/23) of chronic pancreatitis patients. At least some of the 13 children with idiopathic chronic pancreatitis had features suggestive of tropical pancreatitis.