Slovenská chirurgia 1-2e/2024

Effect of obesity and metabolic syndrome on severity and course of acute pancreatitis

Introduction: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an acute non-bacterial inflammation of the pancreas. A few studies have shown that the presence of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome (MS) correlates with the severity of AP. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of obesity and metabolic syndrome as individual risk factors on the outcomes of acute pancreatitis. Material and methods: In the presented study, we followed 105 patients with acute pancreatitis. This study evaluates the differences between patients divided into five groups according to the degree of obesity and the presence of metabolic syndrome. We identify their influence on the severity of the disease with the development of local and systemic complications. Results: A total of 105 patients with acute pancreatitis were included. A statistically significant relationship was confirmed between the presence of obesity, MS, and the occurrence of local complications, p < 0.001 for both monitored parameters. Patients with obesity and MS were prone to develop persistent organ failure, a value that reached statistical significance for both monitored parameters < 0.001. A statistically significant relationship between the severity of AP and the presence of obesity p < 0.001 and MS p < 0.002 was also confirmed. Conclusion: In conclusion, obesity and metabolic syndrome are individually associated with severe acute pancreatitis, worst clinical outcomes, and longer hospitalization in the intensive care unit. Moreover, it is confirmed that the presence of metabolic syndrome can lead to a longer stay in the intensive care unit rather than obesity alone.

Keywords: acute pancreatitis, metabolic syndrome, obesity, abdominal obesity, arterial hypertension