Hypertriglyceridemia causes more severe course of acute pancreatitis

Abstract

Aim: To assess the clinical features and management of hypertriglyceridemia (HTG)-induced acute pancreatitis(AP). Patients & methods: Patients with AP and serum triglyceride levels of >11.3 mmol/l were included.Results: HTG-induced AP accounted for 6.28% of the total number of AP cases. HTG-induced AP patients were significantly younger and there was a male preponderance compared with non-HTG-induced pancreatitic patients.Antilipemic therapy lowered triglyceride levels from 44.78 ± 6.26 to 3.59 ± 0.3 mmol/l in the HTG-induced APgroup. Amylase levels were elevated three-times over normal levels in only 23.1% of HTG-induced AP patients.Severe prognosis, pancreatic necrosis, sepsis and local complications were more frequent and the length ofhospitalization was significantly longer in the HTG-induced AP compared with AP with other etiologies. Conclusion:HTG-induced AP seems to be more severe than AP of other causes. Levels of serum amylase may be normal oronly minimally elevated.

Key Words:

• acute pancreatitis
• amylase
• heparin
• hypertriglyceridemia
• insulin
• lipase
• plasmapheresis