Acute Pancreatitis: A clinical perspective

Abstract

Acute pancreatitis is one of the main gastrointestinal disorders that is characterized by an acute inflammatory process of the pancreatic tissue with variability in severity, usually with a mild and self-limiting presentation, and presenting a low mortality. Biliary etiology is the leading cause of acute pancreatitis worldwide, with greater involvement in the female gender. Within the diagnostic approach, acute abdominal pain and intense onset in the epigastrium radiating to the back is usually the most representative symptom that leads to suspicion of this entity, accompanied by elevation of pancreatic enzymes and the presence of typical image findings of inflammation of the pancreas. The objection to identifying which patients are at risk of developing local or systemic complications has led to the creation of different scales predicting the severity of pancreatitis with performances that are still debatable. Therapeutic management has two fundamental pillars, fluid resuscitation to maintain or restore tissue perfusion and adequate nutritional support to counteract the catabolic state and reduce the rate of infectious complications. In the context in which the cause is a biliary origin, its resolution is important to avoid progression to chronic pancreatitis.