title: Etiology and outcome of acute pancreatitis in children in Kashmir (India). An endemic area of hepatobiliary ascariasis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of the present study was to determine the etiology, management, and outcome of acute pancreatitis (AP) in children in an endemic area of hepatobiliary ascariasis (HBA).
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective, hospital-based study over a 9-year period that included 156 children younger than 12 years of age who had a diagnosis of AP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 156 patients, 71 were boys and 85 were girls with a mean age of 8.4 ± 1.5 years (range 3-12 years). The various factors contributing to AP were biliary ascariasis in 93 cases (60 %), gallstones 16 (10 %), trauma 5 (3 %), choledochal cyst 4 (3 %), impacted bile duct stone 3 (2 %), and gallbladder sludge 2 (1 %). Idiopathic group 33 cases (21 %). Diagnosis was based on clinical picture, abdominal ultrasonography, and elevated serum amylase level. Pancreatitis was mild in 113 (72 %) patients and severe in 43 (28 %). With conservative therapy, 123 patients (79 %) improved, whereas the remaining 33, who had intractable abdominal pain, cholangitis, or worsening cholecystitis, underwent emergency endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for removal of worms (26 patients) and stones in the bile duct (7 patients). Bile duct stones were extracted in all 7 patients with that condition, and worms were extracted from 23 of the 26 patients with ascariasis. Emergency surgery was performed in five patients. Three patients died. Pancreatitis recurred in 16 patients due to HBA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pancreatitis is not uncommon in children. Ascariasis is a leading cause of AP in endemic areas. Patients usually respond to conservative management, but endoscopic treatment is effective. Surgery is rarely required.
authors: Department of Gastroenterology, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar, 190011 Jammu, India. guljavid@rediffmail.com
authors: Gul
authors: G
authors: Javid
authors: Showkat
authors: S
authors: Zargar
authors: Altaf
authors: A
authors: Shah
authors: Abid
authors: A
authors: Shoukat
authors: Asif
authors: A
authors: Iqball
authors: Amit
authors: A
authors: Gupta
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D001196:Ascariasis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D001660:Biliary Tract Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008109:Liver Diseases, Parasitic / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000628:therapy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome