Changes in the kallikrein kinin system during acute pancreatitis in man

Changes in the kallikrein-kinin system were analysed in 19 attacks of acute pancreatitis in man and correlated to the severity and clinical course of the disease. Prekallikrein, kininogen and kallikrein inhibition were significantly lower in blood in severe attacks than in moderate or mild attacks. These changes were even more pronounced in peritoneal fluid, where kallikrein activity was above normal, while kininogen and kallikrein inhibition were nil in severe attacks. Both high and low molecular weight kininogen were decreased, denoting an activation also by kininogenases other than plasma kallikrein. These changes indicate an activation of the kallikreinkinin system in acute severe pancreatitis in man, especially in the abdominal cavity. Although there is a great deal of evidence for activation of the kinin system in experimental shock states in animals (1-4), there are to date rather few studies showing that such an activation takes place in human acute pancreatitis. This lack of clinical studies is mainly explained by the difficulty in measuring activated components of the system, especially since these components are rapidly inactivated in different ways in vivo (5).