Evaluation of hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis: A single tertiary care unit experience from Turkey

This study aimed to determine the frequency of hypertriglyceridemia (HTG)-induced acute pancreatitis (AP) and assess different clinical and prognostic features in these patients.

The patients who were hospitalized with AP due to HTG (HTG-AP) between January 2005 and December 2014 were retrospectively evaluated in the clinic. The patients with AP due to non-HTG (non-HTG-AP) were also investigated during the same period.

Of 635 patients with AP admitted to the clinic, 33 (5.2%) had HTG-related AP. Mean triglyceride levels were 2653 mg/dL (range: 439-13700 mg/dL). Mean Ranson score at the time of admission was 1.5, and the APACHE II score was 4.63. The mean duration of hospitalization was 4.4 days (range: 2-14 days). One of these patients died on the sixth day of hospitalization due to multiple-organ failure. Patients with a triglyceride level of >1000 mg/dL were younger, had a longer hospital stay, and had a higher recurrence rate. Compared with non-HTG-AP, HTG-AP was observed at a younger age (57.4±17.3 vs. 37.6±14.8, p<0.05, respectively) and more frequently in males (45.2% vs. 57.6%, p<0.05, respectively). The frequency of multiple AP in patients with HTG-AP was higher than non-HTG-AP (63.4% vs. 7.6%, respectively).

HTG-AP was observed at a younger age and was responsible for most cases of recurrent pancreatitis. The duration of hospitalization was long, and the risk of recurrence and mortality were high in patients with HTG-AP having a triglyceride level >1000 mg/dL.