Table 1 Patient background and clinical parameters
|  | PEI group (n = 30) | Non-PEI group (n = 30) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
Age, median [range] | 71.0 [46–87] | 71.0 [40–81] | 1.000 |
Sex, male: female | 24: 6 | 22: 8 | 0.542 |
BMI, median [range] | 21.585 [15.99–28.07] | 21.090 [15.24–26.38] | 0.255 |
History of alcohol intake, n (%) | 19 (63.3) | 19 (63.3) | 1.000 |
Heavy drinkers, n (%) | 7 (23.3) | 1 (3.3) | 0.023 |
Smoking history, n (%) | 17 (56.7) | 19 (63.3) | 0.598 |
Pancreatic disease | Â | Â | Â |
 PC, n (%) | 11 (36.7) | 12 (40.0) | 0.791 |
 CP, n (%) | 8 (26.7) | 3 (10.0) | 0.095 |
 Other pancreatic disease, n (%) | 11 (36.7) | 10 (33.3) | 0.761 |
Concomitant diseases | Â | Â | Â |
 Hypertension, n (%) | 10 (33.3) | 15 (50.0) | 0.190 |
 Dyslipidemia, n (%) | 10 (33.3) | 11 (36.7) | 0.787 |
 Diabetes, n (%) | 14 (46.7) | 13 (43.3) | 0.795 |
Blood test findings | Â | Â | Â |
 Hb (g/dL) [range] | 13.50 [7.9–15.5] | 13.50 [10.9–15.9] | 0.877 |
 BUN (mg/dL) [range] | 16.05 [3.7–29.2] | 15.75 [6.2–26.9] | 1.000 |
 Cre (mg/dL) [range] | 0.775 [0.49–1.32] | 0.730 [0.42–1.24] | 0.225 |
 TP (g/dL) [range] | 7.00 [5.5–8.0] | 7.20 [6.2–7.8] | 0.716 |
 Alb (g/dL) [range] | 3.95 [1.4–4.5] | 4.20 [3.6–4.7] | 0.006 |
 Amy (IU/L) [range] | 83.5 [30–374] | 74.5 [36–350] | 0.877 |
 Lipase (IU/L) [range] | 48.5 [4–781] | 34.5 [10–889] | 0.706 |
 HbA1c (NGSP %) [range] | 6.65 [4.9–13.7] | 6.20 [4.9–10.5] | 0.195 |
 CEA (ng/mL) [range] | 3.2 [1.0–44.4] | 2.6 [0.7–105.8] | 0.261 |
 CA19-9 (U/mL) [range] | 119.50 [< 1–23210] | 61.50 [< 1–197000] | 0.446 |
Imaging findings | Â | Â | Â |
 Pancreatic hypertrophy, n (%) | 9 (30.0) | 3 (10.0) | 0.053 |
 Calcification, n (%) | 4 (13.3) | 2 (6.7) | 0.389 |
 Pancreatic cyst, n (%) | 6 (20.0) | 5 (16.7) | 0.739 |
 MPD dilatation, n (%) | 19 (63.3) | 13 (43.3) | 0.121 |
 MPD stenosis, n (%) | 20 (66.7) | 12 (40.0) | 0.038 |
 Normal pancreas, n (%) | 0 (0.0) | 5 (16.7) | 0.020 |