Acute Organ Dysfunction, Not Age Alone, Drives Poor Outcomes in Acute Pancreatitis

A study published in BMC Gastroenterology evaluated age-related differences and predictors of short-term outcomes in 1,034 adults hospitalized with acute pancreatitis (AP). Key Findings Patients were stratified into three age groups (18–40, 41–60, and 61–80 years) . Hypertriglyceridemia was the predominant cause of AP in younger adults, whereas biliary pancreatitis was most common among older patients. Older patients also presented with higher bilirubin, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, BISAP, and APACHE II scores.

Although adverse outcomes increased with age, chronological age showed only a modest independent association with poor outcomes after adjustment. In contrast, acute respiratory failure emerged as the strongest predictor of adverse outcomes, increasing the risk more than 15-fold. ICU admission and prolonged hospital stay were driven primarily by acute organ dysfunction and…