Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Acute pancreatitis is an acute condition presenting with abdominal pain and usually associated with raise pancreatic enzyme level in the blood or urine as a result of inflammatory disease of pancreas. Pancreatitis is a disease of wide clinical variation ranging from mild discomfort alone to a severe illness with hypotension, metabolic derangement, sepsis, multiple organ failure and death. Mortality from acute pancreatitis has decreased from around 12 to 2 percent, according to a large epidemiologic study of acute pancreatitis. However, mortality rates remain much higher in subgroups of patients with severe disease. Aims &
Objective: To study recent trends in acute pancreatitis, to study the various etiological factors for development of acute pancreatitis, assessment of various clinical features, complication, investigations and diagnosis of acute pancreatitis and its complications, to evaluate various modalities of the treatment for acute pancreatitis and its complications. Material and Methods: Material of this study consists of 50 patients of acute pancreatitis who were admitted in our Hospital. The clinical presentation clinical examination was carried out, and physical findings, associated medical conditions, laboratory and radiological investigations, severity, management and outcome were studied and the etiology was determined by reviewing the medical records of all cases documented to have acute pancreatitis during the period of study.
Results: Average hospital stay for 50 patients in our study is approximately 7 days. The diagnosis of acute pancreatitis was considered when abdominal pain is associated with elevation of serum amylase level. Abdominal pain (100%), fever (82%), vomiting (86%), abdominal distension (40%) and dyspnoea (50%) are its common clinical symptoms. Conclusion: Gallstones and alcohol abuse are the main causes of acute pancreatitis. There is no mortality in our study. Among all the patients, only 4 patients in the follow-up developed complications approximately after 2 months of duration of attack; and they undergone for operation. Clinical examination, serum amylase and ultrasonography are still the diagnostic tool for pancreatitis. Most cases of pancreatitis can be managed conservatively with early diagnosis, aggressive medical management and by treatment of cause.