Originally thought to be a respiratory pathogen, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has been shown to cause a dizzying array of symptoms, including all major organ systems of the human body. As time elapsed, new strains of the virus have emerged, validating concerns about genetic mutation. No single treatment has proven beneficial in treating the consequences, and the world has been left at the mercy of this deadly pathogen. It has been proven that COVID-19 can cause strokes, myocardial infarcts, mesenteric infarcts, acute limb ischemia, and a wide array of other symptomatology. This review aimed to evaluate whether there exists an association between COVID-19 and pancreatitis. Forty publications (34 case reports and 4 case series) were included in the review. In total, 44 cases of acute pancreatitis (38 cases of acute edematous pancreatitis and 6 cases of necrotizing pancreatitis) in COVID-19 patients without any predisposing factors have been published since January 2020. Fortunately, only 4 (9.1%) of these patients were reported to have died. Although the exact mechanism by which COVID-19 causes pancreatitis is still unclear, studies so far have reported it as a multifactorial phenomenon. COVID-19 associated pancreatic injury is thought to involve direct cellular damage via local replication of SARS-CoV-2 within pancreatic cells, as they express angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors even more strongly than lung cells. Our review concludes that acute pancreatitis should be kept in the differential list of all COVID-19 patients with gastrointestinal manifestations, especially in patients with acute abdomen.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.