ABSTRACT
Pancreatitis is a relatively common disease affecting people of all ages, usually caused by:
n alcoholism (usually in men under 40); n biliary obstruction (usually in older women; usually caused by gallstones);
although only a minority of alcoholics or people with gallstones develop pancreatitis. Rarer causes include:
n drugs, such as NSAIDs, thiazides, contraceptives (Hughes, 2004); n animal venoms (rarely seen in the UK); n idiopathic causes, such as endoscopy.
