cute pancreatitis is one of the most common gastrointestinal conditions that results in hospital admission in the United States. The incidence of acute pancreatitis is estimated at 110 to 140 per 100 000 population, with an estimated more than 300 000 US emergency department visits per year. 1,2 Admissions due to acute pancreatitis have increased from 9.48 cases per 1000 hospitalizations in 2002 to 12.19 in 2013, with a median hospital cost of nearly $7000 per hospitalization. 3,4 Acute pancreatitis is a complex disease with a variable course that is often difficult to predict early in its development (eBox in the Supplement). Approximately 80% of patients develop mild to moderately severe disease (absence of organ failure >48 hours). 5,6 However, one-fifth of patients develop severe disease, with a mortality rate of approximately 20%. 5,7 The purpose of this review is to summarize evidence regarding the recognition of disease severity, fluid and nutrition management, and risk-reduction methods for the prevention of recurrent disease.
MethodsPubMed and the Cochrane databases were searched for Englishlanguage studies published from January 2009 through August 2020 for randomized clinical trials (RCTs), meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and observational studies. Manual searches were performed of the references of selected articles, reviews, metaanalyses, and practice guidelines. Select studies prior to 2009 were included for historical context. Emphasis was given to RCTs and metaanalyses. All publications and citations included were mutually agreed on by the authors and selected for clinical importance and relevance with consideration to the general medical readership of JAMA. Sixty-six articles were included, which contained 8 RCTs, 12 meta-analyses, and 5 clinical guidelines.
Pathogenesis and EtiologyAcute pancreatitis is characterized by damage to the acinar cells, the functional units of the exocrine pancreas, precipitating inappropriate release and activation of trypsinogen to trypsin within the acini. This triggers the activation of other digestive enzymes, the kinin system, and the complement cascade resulting in autodigestion of the pancreatic parenchyma. 8,9 Pancreatic duct obstruction (eg, gallstone pancreatitis) is one of the more common causes of acinar damage, causing an increase in ductal pressure, interstitial edema, and accumulation of enzyme-rich fluid within the pancreatic tissue. 10 Alternatively, primary acinar injury may be caused by a variety of other factors, such as calcium, which regulates trypsin activation. Inappropriate release of IMPORTANCE In the United States, acute pancreatitis is one of the leading causes of hospital admission from gastrointestinal diseases, with approximately 300 000 emergency department visits each year. Outcomes from acute pancreatitis are influenced by risk stratification, fluid and nutritional management, and follow-up care and risk-reduction strategies, which are the subject of this review.OBSERVATIONS MEDLINE was searched via PubMed as was the Cochrane data...