[Prediction and monitoring of severe acute pancreatitis]

Twenty to thirty percent patients with acute pancreatitis develop severe acute pancreatitis with high mortality and morbidity rate. Markers of severity of acute pancreatitis are clinically important for the early diagnosis of complications. We reviewed the literature for markers of acute pancreatitis. On their relevance for prediction of severe pancreatitis are given. Several markers can predict severe cases of acute pancreatitis with a different positive and negative predictive value. Useful predictors of severity may include serum procalcitonin and urinary trypsinogen activation peptide at the admission, serum interleukins-6 and -8 at 24 h, and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) in 48 hours interval. The valuable marker for daily monitoring appears to be serum procalcitonin.