Globally, in 2013 about 17 million cases of pancreatitis occurred.[4] This resulted in 123,000 deaths up from 83,000 deaths in 1990.[5] Acute pancreatitis occurs in about 30 per 100,000 people a year.[2] New cases of chronic pancreatitis develop in about 8 per 100,000 people a year and currently affect about 50 per 100,000 people in the United States.[6] It is more common in men than women. Often chronic pancreatitis starts between the ages of 30 and 40 while it is rare in children.[1] Acute pancreatitis was first described on autopsy in 1882 while chronic pancreatitis was first described in 1946.[6]