Severe acute pancreatitis in China: etiology and mortality in 1976 patients.
OBJECTIVE
Many epidemiological studies have recently been published on acute pancreatitis; however, there is no known published report on pancreatitis in China. The present study aims to assess the etiology and mortality of severe acute pancreatitis in China.


METHODS
Fifteen medical centers located throughout mainland China were involved in this retrospective study. The medical records of 1976 patients, who were admitted to these centers with the diagnosis of severe acute pancreatitis from December 1990 to December 2005, were reviewed. Epidemiological, laboratory, radiological, and therapeutic data for each case were collected on a standardized form for analysis. Severity of pancreatitis was graded according to established criteria.


RESULTS
Of the 1976 patients (1028 men, 948 women; mean age, 56.2 +/- 16.5 years; range, 9-94 years). Biliary tract disease (58.7%) was the main etiologic factor, whereas in 25.2%, the cause was identified as idiopathic. Endotherapy was performed in 9.1% of the severe biliary cases, but only in 33%, it was performed within 72 hours. The mean duration of hospitalization was 22.5 +/- 21.4 days, and the overall mortality rate was 11.8%.


CONCLUSIONS
In this retrospective study, biliary tract disease was the main etiologic factor of severe acute pancreatitis in China. The highest mortality occurred in severe idiopathic pancreatitis, and there was no clear relationship between mortality and age.
Bai
Yu
Y
Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
Liu
Yan
Y
Jia
Lin
L
Jiang
Huiqing
H
Ji
Ming
M
Lv
Nonghua
N
Huang
Kaihong
K
Zou
Xiaoping
X
Li
Yanqing
Y
Tang
Chengwei
C
Guo
Xiaozhong
X
Peng
Xiaowei
X
Fang
Dianchun
D
Wang
Bingsheng
B
Yang
Bihui
B
Wang
Liping
L
Li
Zhaoshen
Z
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001660:Biliary Tract Diseases / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D019512:Pancreatitis, Alcoholic / Q000401:mortality; D012189:Retrospective Studies