New guidelines call for early treatment decisions. The condition is triggered most commonly by alcohol abuse and gall stones
Management and treatment decisions made within the first 48 to 72 hours of hospital admission for acute pancreatitis patients can significantly alter the course of disease and duration of hospitalization.
New clinical guidelines from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), published in Gastroenterology, the official journal of AGA, focuses on the critical decisions made during initial management of acute pancreatitis.
Management of acute pancreatitis has evolved slowly over the past century.
It is common in India but, no prevalence data are available from India. Only some idea of incidence can be obtained from patients admitted in tertiary care centers. At the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, 276 patients with AP were hospitalized from January 1997 to June 2002, i.e. about 55 patients per year.
Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory condition of the pancreas that can cause local injury, systemic inflammatory response syndrome and organ failure. It is most often precipitated by gall stones or alcohol abuse.
It is common in India but, no prevalence data are available from India. Only some idea of incidence can be obtained from patients admitted in tertiary care centers. At the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, 276 patients with AP were hospitalized from January 1997 to June 2002, i.e. about 55 patients per year. The rate is about the same as in similar centers in England. The incidence of AP has, however, been reported to be much higher in USA, Finland and Scotland (49.3, 46.6 and 41.9 per 100,000 population, respectively).1 Furthermore, it has been noted that the incidence of AP has been steadily rising during the last decade in European countries2 and UK.3
AGA’s new guidelines aim to reduce practice variation and promote high-quality and high-value care for patients suffering from acute pancreatitis.
