P1713 - Evaluation of Physicians’ Awareness of Tobacco Smoking as an Etiology of Acute Pancreatitis

Rand Kittani, BS¹, Daniel Cheah, BS, MS¹, Modan Goldman, BS¹, Ryan Monjazeb, BS¹, Rachael Wong, BS¹, Kenneth L. Zhang, BS¹, Ahmad Al-Taee, MD^2
1University of Illinois College of Medicine, Urbana, IL; ²Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana, IL

Introduction: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory disorder of the pancreas and is one of the leading gastrointestinal indications of hospitalizations in the United States. The etiology of AP can be determined in about 75% of cases with the most common causes being heavy alcohol use and gallstones while cases with unidentified causes are labeled as idiopathic AP (IAP). Tobacco smoking has emerged as an independent risk factor for AP. However, it is unclear how often physicians consider it as a cause of AP. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate physicians’ awareness of tobacco smoking as an etiology of AP.

Methods: This is a retrospective study where 210 electronic medical records were reviewed of patients admitted to the hospital with AP between September 2015 and September 2023. AP was diagnosed by meeting 2 of 3 criteria: pancreatic-type abdominal pain, elevated serum lipase level more than 3 times the upper limit of normal, and/or evidence of pancreatic inflammation on cross sectional imaging. Physicians' notes were assessed for the suspected etiology of AP, and data was analyzed in relation to their tobacco smoking status.

Results: 210 patient charts were reviewed, of which 33 charts were excluded from the study for not meeting the criteria for AP. Of the remaining 177 patient charts, 73 patients were diagnosed with AP and had an identifiable cause while 104 patients were deemed to have IAP. A total of 45 patients were actively smoking at the time of their diagnosis. However, tobacco smoking was considered as a cause of AP in only 3 patients (~7%). Among patients who were deemed to have IAP, 26 patients (25%) were actively smoking at the time of diagnosis.



Discussion: Tobacco smoking remains an underrecognized cause of AP which can lead to a missed opportunity to counsel patients on the importance of smoking cessation. Furthermore, patients who continue to smoke are more likely to be re-hospitalized with recurrent AP which adds to healthcare costs and increase the risk of chronic pancreatitis. Efforts to increase awareness of tobacco use as an independent risk factor for acute pancreatitis are part of the authors’ ongoing research.


Disclosures:


Rand Kittani, BS¹, Daniel Cheah, BS, MS¹, Modan Goldman, BS¹, Ryan Monjazeb, BS¹, Rachael Wong, BS¹, Kenneth L. Zhang, BS¹, Ahmad Al-Taee, MD². P1713 - Evaluation of Physicians’ Awareness of Tobacco Smoking as an Etiology of Acute Pancreatitis, ACG 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts. Philadelphia, PA: American College of Gastroenterology.