Does Repeat Testing Change Outcomes? Assessing the Value of Serial Enzyme Levels in Acute Pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory disorder of the pancreas, with or without fibrosis. Amylase and lipase play important roles in the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. This study aimed to determine the importance of performing pancreatic enzyme measurements after initial diagnosis.

This prospective cohort observational study was conducted at King Fahad Hospital in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected from participants at a single center through observation and analysis using the SPSS software.

This study enrolled 184 participants (47.8% females) with an average age of 42.1 years and an average body mass index of 27.5. Biliary pancreatitis was found to be the most common cause of acute pancreatitis (62.0%). Moreover, initial laboratory test results included amylase (performed in 54.9% of patients), both amylase and lipase (38.6%), and lipase alone (6.5%). Among the participants, 75% underwent repeated enzyme measurements, and severe pancreatitis was classified as likely in 16.8% of participants.

Repeated enzyme measurements were associated with longer hospital stays and a higher likelihood of intensive care unit admission, emphasizing the potential severity of the disease in this subgroup. Future studies with larger cohorts are warranted to validate these findings and to explore additional factors that may influence the need/frequency for repeated enzyme measurements in this patient population.