Review of acute pancreatitis in children in India

Abstract

In the last two decades, the incidence of a cute pancreatitis (AP) in children has increased. Knowing different aspects of this condition like incidence, etiology, and severity is essential for the prevention and management of AP. There is a paucity of well-defined research in India on this topic. Hence, this review was done to evaluate the incidence, etiology, complications, and outcome of a cute pancreatitis. The key findings can aid the pediatrician to be aware of the epidemiology and etiology, which would help in the early diagnosis and treatment to decrease the morbidity and mortality. We have conducted an independent search in PubMed and Google Scholar and analyzed articles by Indian authors on this issue from 1990 onwards. The range of incidence of acute pancreatitis is12–20 cases per year and idiopathic is the most common cause ranging from 21 to 82.25%. Necrotizing pancreatitis (2.5–22.5%) is the most common complication which is high compared to Western countries and the mortality rate is in the range of 1.6% to 3.6%. This highlights the findings of researches in India regarding the epidemiology, etiology, complication, and mortality rate of pediatric acute pancreatitis; the incidence of which has increased considerably over the past few decades.