Case-control study on risk factors associated with fibrocalculous pancreatic diabetes.

We investigated the relation between fibrocalculous pancreatic diabetes and cassava consumption in a case-control study, in which 31 cases of pancreatic diabetes were compared with 45 non-diabetic control subjects who had no pancreatic calcification. Risk of diabetes was not related to cassava consumption. We also observed no increased risk of fibrocalculous pancreatic diabetes associated with alcohol consumption, history of gallbladder and biliary tract diseases, ascariasis, and family history of diabetes. Lower monthly income, farmer occupation, rural residence, and low BMI were significantly (p less than 0.05) related to pancreatic diabetes. Our data suggest that consumption of cassava may not be an important risk factor for pancreatic diabetes. With limited sample size, however, cassava consumption could not be excluded as one possible cause of fibrocalculous pancreatic diabetes.