Chronic pancreatitis imposes substantial human and financial costs, including hospitalizations and medical care, absences from work and school for patients and family, opioid addiction, and other consequences of chronic pain.
An 2014 analysis of the costs of chronic pancreatitis in the United Kingdom estimated the annual cost to be the equivalent of over $100,000 per patient per year—and that was likely an underestimate. The study concluded: “Patients with chronic pancreatitis consume a disproportionately high volume of resources.”¹