Early nasogastric tube feeding versus nil-by-mouth in patients with mild and moderate acute pancreatitis: A randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Acute pancreatitis is pathology with large regional variations in incidence and etiology. Aims: The aim of the study was performed to establish the incidence, etiology and severity of acute pancreatitis in the Albanian population. Patients & methods: We have studied all the files of all patients with acute pancreatitis admitted at the UHC ‘Mother Theresa” during a nine year period (2005-2013). Results: We had 964 admissions with the diagnosis acute pancreatitis, giving an incidence of 5.64 per 100 000 inhabitants. Mean age of patients was 54.5 ± 16.926 years old. We had 377 females or 39.1% and 587 males or 60.9%. 780 patients 80.9% had mild to moderate pancreatitis, while 184 patients or 19.1% had severe pancreatitis. Overall mortality was 2.8% (we had 27 deaths out of 964 diagnosed patients). Alcohol consumptionwas found to be the etiological factor in 382 patients (39.6%), gallstone in 362 patients (37.6%), and other etiologies including hipertriglideridemia, autoimmune pancreatitis, trauma and idiopathic causes in 220 patients (22.8%). There was a significant increase of the new cases during the last years, and there was also a significant increase of acute alcoholic pancreatitis in young patients. Conclusion: The incidence of acute pancreatitis was found to be 5.6 per 100 000 inhabitants, which is lower than the incidence of pancreatitis in the region. The alcoholic etiology (39.6%) and the young age of patients tend to be trend of the last years. Pancreatitis was found to be severe in 19.1% of patients, overall mortality was 2.8%.