A retrospective study of pregnant patients with acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is a rare disease in pregnant patients. Although it may have serious maternal and fetal consequences, morbidity and mortality rates have decreased recently due to appropriate and rapid treatment with earlier diagnosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate pregnant patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis.

The study included pregnant patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis who were admitted to Adana City Training and Research Hospital in Adana, Turkey, between January 2014 and January 2022. Patients' files were screened. Patients' demographics, acute pancreatitis etiology, severity, complications, and applied treatment, as well as maternal and fetal outcomes were evaluated.

The study included 65 pregnant patients with acute pancreatitis. The mean age was 26.6±5 (19-41) years. Acute pancreatitis was observed in the third trimester. The most common cause of acute pancreatitis was gallstones, and its severity was often mild. Only two patients required endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, and the remaining patients were treated medically. Maternal and infant death developed in a patient with necrotizing acute pancreatitis secondary to hyperlipidemia.

The most common etiology of acute pancreatitis in pregnancy was gallstones. Acute pancreatitis occurred in the third trimester. Most of the patients had mild acute pancreatitis. Maternal and fetal complications were rare. We think that the reasons for the low mortality rate were mild disease severity and biliary etiology, and most patients were in the third trimester, as well as early diagnosis and no delay in the intervention.