Acute pancreatitis (AP) is described as activation of pancreas enzymes inside the pancreas and digestion of pancreas tissue via its
own enzymes (autodigestion). Acute pancreatitis is diagnosed according to criteria indicated in Atlanta symposium in 1992, namely
abdominal pain accompanied by three-fold increase in serum amylase or lipase levels. According to this symposium, acute pancreatitis is
classified into two groups, as mild and severe disease states. While rate of mild disease is 70-80% in acute pancreatitis, severe cases present with
a rate of 20-30%. Though certain variations in etiology are seen in different countries,
gallbladder stones and alcohol is held responsible in approximately 70- 80% of cases. Various scoring systems are being used to determine
clinical severity and prognosis in acute pancreatitis. Ranson is a specific scoring system for acute pancreatitis and is based on certain
clinical and laboratory findings of patients at referral and at 48th hour. APACHE II is rather a general scoring system; beginning from initial
referral to hospital, it provides evaluation of certain physiological functions and general health status of patients at 24-hour intervals.
BISAP score are also newer scoring system for pancreatitis.
Last date updated on September, 2024