Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Acute pancreatitis may cause endocrine and exocrine dysfunction, but in the early phase of acute pancreatitis these changes are poorly documented.

Aim: The aim of this study was to asses the endocrine and exocrine impairment in the early phase of AP and to establish the need for

Patients and methods: We have collected data from 116 patients with AP, with different aetiologies and degrees of severity of the disease. We had 93 male pts (80.17%) and 23 female pts (19.82%). Mean age 45.74±13.05 years old (range 20–76 years).

Pancreatic endocrine function was evaluated by fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycosylated haemoglobin. Factors that could influence the endocrine function as obesity, hiperlipidemia were also investigated. Pancreatic exocrine function was evaluated by faecal elastase.

Results: Nine pts (7.76%) had the confirmed diagnosis of diabetes already prior to acute pancreatitis. 42 pts (36.20%) had hyperglycaemia and 65 pts (56.03%) had normal blood glucose level.

The blood glucose levels did not correlate with the severity of the disease. During the hospital stay 9 pts were already in insulin therapy and needed to modify doses, while 17 pts out of them initial hyperglycaemia had to start the insulin therapy recently.

Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency was seen in 21 pts (18.1%).

Conclusions: Endocrine functional impairment was found in pts with AP. Obesity, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes related symptoms increased the likelihood of developing functional impairment after AP.

Hyperglycemia may present in pts with AP, even during the first days of the disease onset, but usually normalizes as the inflammatory process subsides. Blood glucose may fluctuate, and insulin should be administered cautiously.

Comments/keywords: Keywords: Endocrine function, Acute Pancreatitis, Insulin administration.