Acute Pancreatitis Due to COVID-19 Active Infection

Frank H Annie1, Julton Chumbe2, Lauren Searls2

  • 1Cardiology, Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC), Charleston, USA.

Cureus
|January 20, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Patients with COVID-19 who developed acute pancreatitis experienced significantly higher mortality, stroke, and hospital admission rates, including ICU stays. This highlights a critical association between pancreatitis and severe outcomes post coronavirus disease 2019 infection.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Gastroenterology
  • Critical Care Medicine

Background:

  • Investigates the link between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and acute pancreatitis.
  • Utilizes large registry data to assess the association between acute pancreatitis and mortality in COVID-19 patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the impact of acute pancreatitis on mortality and other adverse outcomes in patients with COVID-19.
  • To analyze large-scale data for associations between post-COVID-19 acute pancreatitis and patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Adult patients (18-90 years) with COVID-19 were identified from the TriNetX database (Jan 2020 - June 2021).
  • Two cohorts were created: those with post-acute pancreatitis (n=1,173) and those without (n=1,038,515).
  • A 1:1 propensity score match was performed, resulting in two well-matched cohorts (n=1,173 each).

Main Results:

  • Patients with acute pancreatitis showed higher mortality (12.4% vs 3.7%, p<0.001).
  • Increased rates of stroke (3.6% vs 1.7%, p=0.005), inpatient admissions (28.2% vs 10.6%, p<0.001), and ICU admissions (9.5% vs 3.2%, p<0.001) were observed in the pancreatitis group.

Conclusions:

  • Acute pancreatitis is associated with significantly worse outcomes in COVID-19 patients.
  • Higher mortality, stroke incidence, and hospitalization rates (including ICU) are linked to pancreatitis in the post-COVID-19 setting.
  • Findings underscore the importance of monitoring for pancreatitis in COVID-19 patients.

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