Background: Hypertriglyceridemia is the third most common cause of acute pancreatitis (AP). It has been shown that hypertriglyceridemia aggravates the severity and related complications of AP; however, detailed analyses of large cohorts are contradictory. Our aim was to investigate the dose-dependent effect of hypertriglyceridemia on AP.
Methods: AP patients over 18 years old who underwent triglyceride measurement within the initial three days were included into our cohort analysis from a prospective international, multicenter AP registry operated by the Hungarian Pancreatic Study Group. Data on 716 AP cases were analyzed. Six groups were created based on the highest triglyceride level (<1.7 mmol/l, 1.7-2.19 mmol/l, 2.2-5.59 mmol/l, 5.6-11.29 mmol/l, 11.3-22.59 mmol/l, ≥22.6 mmol/l).
Results: Hypertriglyceridemia (≥1.7 mmol/l) presented in 30.6% of the patients and was significantly and dose-dependently associated with younger age and male gender. In 7.7% of AP cases, hypertriglyceridemia was considered as a causative etiological factor (≥11.3 mmol/l); however, 43.6% of these cases were associated with other etiologies (alcohol and biliary). Hypertriglyceridemia was significantly and dose-dependently related to obesity and diabetes. The rates of local complications and organ failure and maximum CRP level were significantly and dose-dependently raised by hypertriglyceridemia. Triglyceride above 11.3 mmol/l was linked to a significantly higher incidence of moderately severe AP and longer hospital stay, whereas triglyceride over 22.6 mmol/l was significantly associated with severe AP as well.
Conclusion: Hypertriglyceridemia dose-dependently aggravates the severity and related complications of AP. Diagnostic workup for hypertriglyceridemia requires better awareness regardless of the etiology of AP.
Keywords: Acute pancreatitis; Cohort; Etiology; Hypertriglyceridemia; Severity.
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