Acute pancreatitis in children - a retrospective observational study in a South Indian tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Background & Aims: Acute pancreatitis is usually rare in childhood but probably more commonly diagnosed nowadays. This condition should be considered in the evaluation of children with vomiting and abdominal pain. In this study, we analyse the clinical presentation and outcome of children presenting with acute pancreatitis in a tertiary care centre. Materials & Methods: All children less than 15 years of age, admitted to the paediatric ward of a tertiary care hospital in South India between January 2016 to December 2018 were included in the study. Acute pancreatitis was diagnosed based on the INSPPIRE (International Study Group of Pediatric Pancreatitis: In Search for a Cure) Group criteria. Results: The etiology of acute pancreatitis could be identified in 13 out of 30 patients.The most common etiology was gallstones/ gallbladder sludge (7/30). Overall the incidence of pancreatitis had significant female preponderance 23:7. The average duration of hospital stay was 15 days. Seven patients had mild acute pancreatitis, 18 had moderately severe pancreatitis and 5 had severe pancreatitis. One child with severe acute pancreatitis died. Two of them had pseudocyst formation requiring percutaneous drainage under ultrasound guidance. There was no requirement of surgery in the study group. Conclusion: Our study provides data about the etiology and clinical course of acute pancreatitis in children in southern part of India. Unlike the previous studies, where most of the patients had mild acute pancreatitis, we had more patients with moderately severe and severe acute pancreatitis requiring more interventions and ICU care.