Public Fear of Pancreatic Diseases: Causes and Clinical Outcomes at a Single Korean Center.

Publisher: Editorial Office of Gut and Liver Country of Publication: Korea (South) NLM ID: 101316452 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2005-1212 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19762283 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Gut Liver Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Seoul : Editorial Office of Gut and Liver

Pancreatic Diseases*/psychology ; Pancreatic Diseases*/epidemiology ; Pancreatic Diseases*/complications ; Fear*/psychology ; Pancreatic Neoplasms*/psychology ; Pancreatic Neoplasms*/complications; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Young Adult ; Abdominal Pain/etiology ; Abdominal Pain/psychology

Background/aims: The public fear of pancreatic diseases including pancreatic cancer (PC) appears to be growing. The aims of this study were to evaluate the causes of fear of pancreatic diseases and assess clinical outcomes of such individuals.
Methods: This was a retrospective study of 249 individuals who visited the Pancreatobiliary Diseases Center at Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital due to the fear of pancreatic diseases between January 2019 and August 2021. Those referred from other departments or external medical facilities were excluded. Collected data included demographic details, comorbidities, causes of fear of pancreatic diseases, and the presence of pancreatic lesions in imaging studies.
Results: The median age was 55 years (range, 22 to 82 years). One hundred eleven subjects (44.6%) were male. The causes of fear of pancreatic diseases were abdominal pain (n=144, 57.8%), back pain (n=114, 45.8%), body weight change (n=35, 14.1%), family history of pancreatic diseases (n=32, 12.9%), and others (n=39, 15.7%). Within the group with family history of pancreatic diseases, 25 subjects had a first-degree relative with PC. Of the 200 subjects who underwent imaging, there was no evidence of pancreatic diseases in 182 (91.0%). Pancreatic lesions identified were cystic lesions (n=15, 7.5%), non-specific calcification (n=1, 0.5%), lipoma (n=1, 0.5%), and solid tumor (n=1, 0.5%), later diagnosed as unresectable PC.
Conclusions: Abdominal pain and back pain were the major causes of fear of pancreatic diseases. The prevalence of PC among those who underwent imaging was 0.5%. Such characteristics should be considered when consulting individuals with fear of pancreatic diseases.

Front Public Health. 2023 Oct 04;11:1231240. (PMID: 37860803)
World J Gastroenterol. 2022 Aug 28;28(32):4698-4715. (PMID: 36157927)
Radiology. 2002 May;223(2):547-53. (PMID: 11997566)
JAMA. 2019 Aug 6;322(5):438-444. (PMID: 31386141)
J Med Internet Res. 2023 Jul 5;25:e47210. (PMID: 37405825)
World J Gastroenterol. 2022 Feb 14;28(6):624-634. (PMID: 35317424)
Gut. 2020 Jan;69(1):7-17. (PMID: 31672839)
Pancreas. 1994 Jul;9(4):508-12. (PMID: 7937699)
N Engl J Med. 2018 Dec 20;379(25):2463-2464. (PMID: 30575492)
Am J Gastroenterol. 2023 Sep 1;118(9):1664-1670. (PMID: 37141538)
AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2008 Sep;191(3):802-7. (PMID: 18716113)
Clin Transl Oncol. 2005 Jun;7(5):189-97. (PMID: 15960930)
Lancet. 2015 Jul 4;386(9988):85-96. (PMID: 25616312)
Cancer Lett. 2021 Nov 1;520:1-11. (PMID: 34216688)
J Korean Med Sci. 2022 Jul 18;37(28):e216. (PMID: 35851861)
Gastroenterology. 2023 Apr;164(5):752-765. (PMID: 36804602)
Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2010 Sep;8(9):806-11. (PMID: 20621679)
Am J Gastroenterol. 2010 Sep;105(9):2079-84. (PMID: 20354507)

Keywords: Fear; Pancreatic diseases; Pancreatic neoplasms

Date Created: 20240628 Date Completed: 20240715 Latest Revision: 20240807

20240808

PMC11249942

10.5009/gnl240241

38938175