Pancreatic Involvement in Non Fulminant Acute Viral Hepatitis

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Biliary pathology and alcoholism are responsible for 70 to 80% cases of acute pancreatitis. Viral etiology is not uncommon.

OBJECTIVE: To study association of nonfulmimant acute hepatitis with acute pancreatitis. METHODS: We undertook a prospective study over 3 years from Jan 2009 to Dec 2011, during which 950 patients got admitted as acute pancreatitis.

RESULTS: Four patients (4.2%) were diagnosed with acute pancreatitis which developed after acute hepatitis. All patients were young (15-36 years); three males and one female. Two patients had pancreatitis in first week and two in third week, after onset of jaundice. Three patients had mild pancreatitis and one had sever pancreatitis. The etiology of pancreatitis was hepatitis A in two, and hepatitis E and hepatitis B in one each. All patients were managed conservatively and recovered completely.

CONCLUSIONS: Association between acute pancreatitis and acute viral hepatitis is now more frequently recognized; more commonly in young males, between 1st and third week of hepatitis illness. JMS 2012;15(1):44-46.