Acute and recurrent pancreatitis in children: etiological factors.
Palabras clave
Abstracto
OBJECTIVE
To describe the clinical picture and outcome, and to assess the etiological factors of acute and recurrent pancreatitis in children.
METHODS
Thirty-six (65.5%) patients with acute and 19 (34.5%) with recurrent pancreatitis were studied. Mean age was 126 (41.3 SD) months; 27 (49.1%) were females.
METHODS
A pediatric referral hospital.
METHODS
2000-2005.
METHODS
Cross-sectional.
METHODS
Clinical and laboratory data and etiological factors.
METHODS
Chi2-test, Fisher test, OR, confidence interval, Student t-test and Mann-Whitney U-test.
RESULTS
The most frequent symptom in acute and recurrent pancreatitis was abdominal pain, followed by vomiting and ileus. The severity of pancreatitis and complications were similar in both groups. Biliary stones, family history of pancreatitis, drug ingestion and hypercalcemia occurred in both groups. Abdominal trauma and acute hepatitis A occurred in patients with acute pancreatitis; triglyceride>5.65 mmol/L, pancreas divisum and DeltaF508 mutation occurred in patients with recurrent pancreatitis. No difference was observed when frequency factors between study groups were compared.
CONCLUSIONS
The clinical picture and etiological factors were similar in both groups. Since one out of every three children with acute pancreatitis in this series presented recurrences, it was not considered to be a 'benign disease'. Fifteen different etiological factors were identified in two-thirds of the cases.
