A genetic variant on chromosome X near the claudin-2 gene (CLDN2) predicts which men who are heavy drinkers are at a higher risk of developing chronic pancreatitis.

The study was conducted over 10 years and involved more than 2,000 patients, all of whom underwent DNA testing.

There was a common DNA variant on the X chromosome that was present in 26% of men without pancreatitis, but that rate jumped to nearly 50% of men diagnosed with alcoholic pancreatitis.

The discovery that chronic pancreatitis has a genetic basis solves a major mystery about why some people develop chronic pancreatitis and others do not.