Course of Acute Pancreatitis in the Elderly Evaluated With Computed Tomography Scan

Abstract

Introduction: In our study, we aimed to evaluate how age affects the severity and course of acute pancreatitis according to the modified Balthazar scoring system. Materials and methods: 354 patients diagnosed with acute-pancreatitis and followed-up in our hospital between July/2013-February/2019 were included our study. Demographic data, comorbid diseases and mortality rates of all patients were documented. Patients with aged 65 and over were assessed as geriatric population. All patients included in the study underwent contrast enhanced abdominal computed-tomography within the first 12 hours and on days 3 to 7. According to the modified Balthazar score, patients with mild, moderate and severe acutepancreatitis respectively. The relationship between age and computed-tomography findings was analyzed. Results: 206 (58.2%) of the patients included in the study were women. Mean age was 54.8 +/- 17.9 years (18-100 years). Geriatric population consisted of 129(36.5%) patients. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups according to the modified Balthazar classification on the initial computedtomographies on admission (p>0.05). However, on computed-tomography scans taken after the third day, severe acute-pancreatitis was detected significantly more frequently in the elderly (p<0.05). Additionally, in comparing the disease progression on computed-tomography scans, disease progression was significantly higher in the elderly group (p <0.05). In addition, comorbidity score and mortality rate were found to be significantly higher in the elderly group (p<0.001, p:0042, respectively). Conclusion: In acute pancreatitis, age may have an effect on the severity of the disease. For this reason, multidisciplinary approach and close follow-up with monitoring is crucial in geriatric patients.