Alcoholic and non-alcoholic acute pancreatitis mortality in the United States, 2006–2023: A nationwide trend analysis

Researchers analysed national mortality from Acute pancreatitis (AP) in United States (US) adults from 2006–2023 using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) Underlying Cause of Death database to compare alcoholic AP (AAP) and non-alcoholic AP (non-AAP) across demographic and geographic groups. During this period, there were 52,904 AP deaths, including 6,759 AAP deaths and 46,145 non-AAP deaths. Overall, AP age-adjusted mortality rate (AAMR) declined from 1.54 to 1.19 per 100,000, and non-AAP AAMR declined from 1.38 to 0.99 per 100,000. In contrast, AAP AAMR increased from 0.13 to 0.23 per 100,000, and AAP deaths rose by more than 60 percent. Crude mortality fell in adults aged 75 years and older but increased in adults aged 25 to 44 years, especially for AAP. AAP deaths increased in both males and females and in both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas.
These findings show that while non-AAP mortality continues to decline, AAP mortality is increasing and represents a growing, largely preventable source of premature death that warrants targeted prevention, improved access to alcohol use treatment, and community-level policies addressing harmful drinking behaviours, with particular concern for younger adults entering their peak working years.
Source: D Yang, F Zhang, L Bai, et al. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic acute pancreatitis mortality in the United States, 2006–2023: A nationwide trend analysis. Sci Rep 2026; 16, 6427.