The Predictive Value of C-Reactive Protein in Acute Pancreatitis for the Severity of Disease

Abstract

Background: Acute pancreatitis (AP) has been defined as an “acute inflammatory process of the pancreas with variable involvement of other regional tissues or remote organ systems”. Increasing incidence of AP worldwide with 33.74 cases per 100,000 persons per year reported globally over the last few years has landed it amongst the most common gastrointestinal disorders requiring hospitalization. Objective: To determine the efficacy of C Reactive Protein (CRP), in predicting severity and outcome of Acute Pancreatitis (AP), taking CT scan findings as gold standard. Study type, settings & duration: This cross-sectional research was conducted at the Department of General Surgery (Unit III), Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, Karachi, from January to March 2021. Methodology: A sample of 186 patients (obtained via non-probability – consecutive sampling), presenting with acute pancreatitis (based on Revised Atlanta Classification – RAC). After taking written informed consent, patient data was recorded on a structured questionnaire (containing inquiries pertaining to basic biodata, sociodemographic details, presenting complaints, inferences obtained from disease history and clinical examination, laboratory investigation (CRP values and variations – at scheduled intervals), CT findings, and patient outcome. The data obtained was analyzed using SPSS. v. 21.0. Results: The mean age of the sample was 39 (SD ± 4) years and 119 (63.9%) were males, while the remaining 67 (36.1%) were females. A raised CRP (≥ 150 mg/dL) was present among 163 (87.6%) of the patients. CRP changes at 24, 48 and 72 h were synonymous with disease severity and a positive association between CRP level / ........

Keywords

• Acute pancreatitis
• predictive value
• disease severity
• revised atlanta classification
• efficacy