When at Oktoberfest …

When at Oktoberfest …


Aaah, Oktoberfest — a festival originating in Germany that celebrates all beers: marzen, porter, hefeweizen … and pancreatitis?

A group of researchers at the Technical University of Munich wondered whether binge drinking, such as the drinking that takes place during Oktoberfest, contributes to acute pancreatitis — inflammation of the pancreas that can cause severe pain, nausea and vomiting. About 10 percent of people who develop acute pancreatitis die from it. It is also associated with Type 2 diabetes and pancreatic cancer.

Researchers know that increased alcohol consumption can lead to acute pancreatitis, and wanted to study whether alcohol-related pancreatitis increased during a period of binge drinking. What better time to conduct such a test than October in Munich?

So during a 16-day period in 2008 during which 6.6-million liters of beer were sold, researchers surveyed people who were treated for acute pancreatitis at hospitals in the Munich area. They found that 188 patients were treated for acute pancreatitis. Of these patients, 36.7 of the cases were alcohol-induced and 34.6 percent were caused by gallstones.

They compared this number of cases to two 18-day control periods when Oktoberfest was not taking place.

Although the researchers found that the overall rate of acute pancreatitis was much higher than previously reported, the incidence of the disease did not increase during Oktoberfest. They concluded that alcohol-related acute pancreatitis was likely brought on by long-term, heavy alcohol use rather than binge drinking.

So next time you’re celebrating Oktoberfest, it might just be OK to raise a glass… without worrying about pancreatitis.

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