Pancreatitis Associated with Viral Hepatitis: Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND

We conducted a systematic review in order to summarize the available data on pancreatitis associated with viral hepatitis.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search of Medline, Scopus and ISI Web of Science databases was conducted and papers eligible for the inclusion identified.

RESULTS

In total, 46 studies reporting data on 73 patients were included in the analysis. Most of the cases were diagnosed in Asia (57.53%), followed by North America (23.29%), and Europe (13.70%). Most of the patients were affected by hepatitis A virus (HAV) (42.47%), followed by hepatitis E virus (HEV) (28.77%), hepatitis B virus (HBV) (8.22%), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) (1.37%), while 17.81% at the time of diagnosis were classified as affected by "hepatitis virus". Pancreatitis was severe in 32.88% of cases. The respiratory system was affected in 2.74% of patients, 6.85% experienced renal failure, while 5.48% experienced a multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Four patients (5.48%) needed pancreatic surgery. Despite the treatment, 21.92% of patients died. We identified fulminant hepatitis ( < 0.0001), MODS ( < 0.0001) and severe pancreatitis ( < 0.0001) to be significantly more present in patients who died in comparison to cured ones.

CONCLUSION

Increased awareness of pancreatic involvement in viral hepatitis is needed because it can have a substantial impact on therapeutic approaches and outcomes.