The relationship between triglyceride level and the severity of acute hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis in Chinese patients

Abstract

Background/Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the triglyceride (TG) level and the severity of acute hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis (AHTGP) in Chinese patients. Materials and Methods: On the basis of clinical data on AHTGP, patients from the period 2015-2018 were enrolled retrospectively and grouped according to the 2012 revised Atlanta classification. Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to evaluate differences among groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to assess the ability of parameters to distinguish mild acute pancreatitis (MAP)/moderately severe acute pancreatitis (MSAP) from severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Results: A total of 104 patients with AHTGP were enrolled and divided into three groups: 61 patients with MAP, 29 patients with MSAP, and 14 patients with SAP. The median values for the MAP, MSAP, and SAP groups were as follows: TG level 48 h after admission, 3.4, 4.5, and 14.2 mmol/L, respectively (p<0.001); ratio of TG level 48 h after admission to that 0 h after admission (48:0-h ratio), 19.4, 32.1, and 65.9, respectively (p<0.001). ROC curves showed that the areas under the curves for the TG level 48 h after admission and the TG 48:0-h ratio for predicting SAP were 0.965 and 0.917, respectively (p<0.001), and the optimal cut-off values were 7.8 mmol/L and 37.7, respectively. Conclusion: The TG level 48 h after admission and the TG 48:0-h ratio may predict the severity of AHTGP, and a high TG level 48 h after admission may be correlated with the progression of SAP.