Background: Recurrent acute pancreatitis (RAP) represents a diagnostic and treatment challenge. Although it's real frequency is difficult to establish some works have reported 25-60% prevalence. In most, the etiology is recurrent biliary stones untreated or consumption of alcohol. The information we have about the RAP in our midst is scarce.
Aim: To review the clinical characteristics and follow-up of a group of patients with RAP.
Methods: Clinical charts of all patients with AP admitted to our Institute from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2005 were reviewed. The diagnosis of RAP was established when two o more episodes of AP were documented. In each case clinical, biochemical, imaging, treatment and follow-up until the last visit to our hospital was analyzed.
Results: The diagnosis of AP was established in 406 patients. Forty of them had RAP (9.8%). Mean age was 32 years old (13-63). The majority was male (72.5%). A mean of 3.5 episodes of AP was presented for each subject (2-14). High levels of triglycerides (n = 15), alcoholism (n = 11) and gallstones (n = 8) were the most frequent cause of RAP. In some cases more than one factor was presented. In 5 of the 15 subjects with RAP due to hypertriglyceridemia other causes of AP were identified (two alcohol consumption,two idiopathic chronic pancreatitis and one gallstone disease). In three patients with RAP supposedly secondary to alcohol, gallstone disease was diagnosed during the follow-up. All of them were operated on. One has had four events of AP after the cholecistectomy. Four of the 8 subjects submitted to cholecistectomy for RAP associated to gallstone disease have had new episodes of AP: 2 for triglycerides and in two a chronic pancreatitis was diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound or MRI. Two patients died (5%).
Conclusions: This series represents probably the first analysis that exists on PAR in Mexico. The frequency found was 9% and the most common causes were hypertriglyceridemia, chronic alcohol consumption and gallstones.