Yes, Simultaneous Damage to Both the Pancreas and Liver Are Associated in Subjects Who Drink Excessive Amounts of Alcohol!

It has generally been accepted that although excessive alcohol intake might lead to liver damage or pancreatic damage, both conditions are rarely associated, and the pathogenesis of the tissue injury is not related. Indeed, many have believed that subjects with alcohol-induced liver damage are somehow not apt to develop pancreatic damage and vice versa. The study by Pace et al¹ in this issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology refutes that remarkably well. These authors evaluated the prevalence of simultaneous liver cirrhosis and chronic pancreatitis in subjects who were heavy imbibers. Postmortem autopsy data were evaluated from 620 individuals with a history of excessive alcohol use and 100 nonalcoholic control subjects. The individuals were classified into groups on the basis of macroscopic observations of the pancreas (no injury, acute pancreatitis, fibrosis, and chronic pancreatitis) and liver (no injury, moderate steatosis, severe steatosis, and cirrhosis).