title: A scoring system for early differentiation of the etiology of acute pancreatitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to find a new scoring system for early differentiation between the two commonest etiologies of acute pancreatitis (biliary and alcoholic), because biliary pancreatitis can be treated early by endoscopic sphincterotomy, whereas such treatment is unnecessary in alcoholics.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and forty-five patients satisfied the requirements for participation in the study and were divided into groups A (alcoholic pancreatitis) and B (biliary pancreatitis). Seven variables (serum and urine amylase, aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lipase/amylase (L/A) ratio, and erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume (MCV)) that differed in a statistically significant manner between patients of the two groups were included in the scoring system. Each parameter was counted as 0 or 1 on the basis of its values, so the patients reached scores from 0 to 7.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Scores > or =4 (P < 0.0001) were consistently present in biliary pancreatitis, whereas alcoholics scored <4, with a sensitivity of 92.04% and a specificity of 93.75%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our new scoring system could be important in the early diagnosis of the etiology of acute pancreatitis in a manner that is non-invasive, easy to calculate, inexpensive, and readily available.
authors.affiliation: Internal Clinic, Gastroenterology Division, Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Croatia.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stimac
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lenac
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Marusić
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood; D000681:Amylases / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008049:Lipase / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D019512:Pancreatitis, Alcoholic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D008049:Lipase; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D000681:Amylases