Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 27, 2026

Enema of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Patients with Severe Acute Pancreatitis
Published on: January 27, 2023
B and NK Cells Closely Correlate with the Condition of Patients with Acute Pancreatitis
Xin Wei1, Weifeng Yao1, Huiping Li2
1Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Purpose:
Pancreatitis can lead to systemic inflammatory response, but the relationship between lymphocyte changes and patients with pancreatitis remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the feedback function of changes in peripheral lymphocyte subsets on the condition of patients with pancreatitis.
Materials And Methods:
131 acute pancreatitis (AP) patients and 11 chronic pancreatitis (CP) patients constituted the patients' group; 20 healthy individuals were enrolled as healthy controls (HC). Serum concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP), amylase, and lipase and the frequency and absolute number of many types of peripheral lymphocytes (including T, B, NK, CD16+/CD56+ T, CD4+ T, CD8+ T, CD4+CD8+ T, and CD4-CD8- T cells) were detected on admission and the seventh day of standard treatment. Besides, the length of hospital stay was recorded.
Results:
The absolute number of all lymphocytes we studied decreased in patients with CP and in patients with almost all types of AP. The frequency change of lymphocytes varies among the different types of AP. During disease onset, B cell frequency correlated positively with CRP concentration and NK cell frequency correlated positively with amylase and lipase concentration. B cell frequency and CD4+ T cell absolute number were recovering towards normal after short-term treatment. The frequency of B cells and NK cells correlated positively with the length of hospital stay.
Conclusions:
B cells and NK cells closely correlate with patients' condition and may help to diagnose AP more accurately and reflect treatment effect of AP in time, affecting the recovery speed of patients with M-AP, which may help physicians to better understand the pathophysiology of pancreatitis.
Related Concept Videos
Acute Pancreatitis I: Introduction
Acute pancreatitis is characterized by rapid inflammation of the pancreas, often caused by factors like gallstone blockage or excessive alcohol consumption. Chronic pancreatitis, on the other hand, is a slow, progressive inflammation that may result from long-term alcohol abuse, obstructions in the pancreatic duct, or genetic factors.
The causes of acute pancreatitis include:
Acute Pancreatitis II: Clinical Manifestations and Management
Correlations
Immune Surveillance by NK Cells and Phagocytes
Natural Killer Cells: The Fast Responders
NK cells are large granular lymphocytes found in the blood and lymphatic system. These...
Correlation and Causation
Correlation versus Causation
If the dependent variable increases or decreases when the independent variable increases, there is a positive or negative...
Correlation
Two variables, for example, a and b, are said to be positively correlated if both variables move in the same direction. In other words, a positive correlation exists between two variables, a and b, if:

