Aim: To obtain some not yet available basic data on the epidemiology of chronic pancreatitis in the Slovak Republic. Method: More than 50 Slovak gastroenterologists using a questionnaire answered questions concerning the age, gender, aetiology, grading, diagnostic procedures and therapy of patients with chronic pancreatitis. From this patients only those with chronic pancreatitis diagnosed by means of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) were chosen. Due to the fact that each respondent had chosen only 10–20 patients, this methodological approach did not make it possible to obtain information about the total occurrence, incidence and prevalence of the disease. The study therefore does not fulfil criteria for a usual study a and gives only partial epidemiologic information. Patients and results: From the 594 patients 121 (20.37%) had chronic pancreatitis diagnosed by ERCP. The average age of this group of patients was 51 years, 49 were men (average age 54 years, age range 25–66 years) and 72 were women (average age 49 years, age span 22–70 years). Etiologically predominated the ethylic cause (41.32%) followed by the idiopathic form (32.23%) and biliary etiology (21.49%). The most common stage was a moderate (52.90%) and mild (34.10%) degree of disease, the severe form was present in 13.00% of patients. All patients suffering from chronic pancreatitis were treated by pancreatic substitution therapy and oral spasmolytic therapy for an average of 5.5 years. Conclusion: The average Slovak patient suffering from chronic pancreatitis is 51 years of age, predominantly of female sex, with the moderate form of the disease with ethylic etiology, diagnosed by ERCP in 20.37% of suspected cases and has been taking pancreatic substitution and spasmolytics for some 5.5 years.

        Key words: chronic pancreatitis – epidemiology – questionnaire – endoscopic cholangiopancreatography