Acute Pancreatitis in Elderly Patients

Abstract

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is 1 of the most common gastrointestinal causes of hospital admissions worldwide and represents more than 275,000 cases per year. It is an inflammatory disease with an unpredictable clinical outcome. Because the incidence of AP has been increasing globally, it has been seen more frequently in elderly individuals because of an aging population. Some reports indicate that AP in these individuals is clinically more severe and systemic complications more frequent, leading to higher mortality compared with younger individuals.