EP.WE.351Changes in social behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic and consequences on hospital admissions from acute alcoholic related pancreatitis

Abstract

BackgroundShifts in social behaviours as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic may make people more prone to alcohol use as a coping mechanism. This study aims to investigate whether there was an impact on acute alcohol-related pancreatitis cases given potential changes in alcohol consumption during the first COVID-19 lockdown period in the United Kingdom. It considers the time period since social establishments re-opened in July 2020, to evaluate whether increase alcoholic pancreatitis cases, as a proxy for altered drinking habits, persisted.MethodsAll codes relating to pancreatitis were used to identify cases between March to September (2016 to 2020). Inclusion criteria: acute alcohol-related pancreatitis only. These cases were screened by a group of independent medical juniors and analysed using Excel.ResultsA total of 1905 patients with pancreatitis were identified in the initial search, of which 136 were admitted with acute alcoholic pancreatitis. There was an increase in absolute number of new cases in 2020 compared to previous years (27 compared to a mean of 16 in the previous 4 years). When shops and pubs reopened, cases reduced by 37.5%.ConclusionThis study highlights the issue of increased admission with acute pancreatitis relating to alcohol in the COVID-19 lock down period. During which, this group of patients are likely socially isolated with a lack of support. This calls for an increase in community support for such patients with emphasis on admission avoidance. This is especially important in an era when there is increased hospital admission due to COVID-19.