Acute pancreatitis in Saudi patients

The epidemiology of acute pancreatitis in Saudi Arabia is greatly different from that in Western Countries.

To evaluate and compare the risk factors and clinical features of acute pancreatitis.

The course of acute pancreatitis was retrospectively analyzed in 218 patients who had their first attack and were admitted at Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital during the period 1.01.85-31.05.97.

From these 218, 130 patients were in the age group of 20-55 yrs. (74+, 56>), 76 were > 55 yrs. Of age (42 +, 34>) and only 12 were < 20 yrs. (6 Females, 6 Males). The precipitating cause was biliary disease in 147, post-operative in ten, hyperlipidemia in seven, post-ERCP in five, infection in four and alcohol in four. Four had rare causes and 37 no obvious cause. Severe pancreatitis diagnosed in 70 patients, 51 of them were > 55 yrs. of age and 45 were precipitated by biliary disease. Twenty six developed complications (21 were > 55 yrs. old) and four deaths. Twenty two patients of these who had severe form had diabetes mellitus, 37 had fever at presentation and 56 had leukocytosis.

The commonest etiology of acute pancreatitis was biliary in 147 patients (67.5%) followed by postoperative pancreatitis in 10 patients (4.6%). Alcohol as etiological factor was rare (1.8%). The epidemiology and the risk factors differed markedly in Saudi Arabia, where alcohol is prohibited.