Imrie C W, Ferguson J C, Sommerville R G
Gut. 1977 Jan;18(1):53-6. doi: 10.1136/gut.18.1.53.
A prospective study of 116 patients with acute pancreatitis included routine screening for evidence of viral infection. Five patients (all female) exhibited significant rising antibody titres to Coxsackie B or mumpsvirus, while none of the remaining 111 patients did. Diarrhoea was a prodromal feature of the pancreatitis in those patients with evidence of viral disease. Screening patients with acute pancreatitis for Coxsackie B and mumpsvirus infections is worthwhile in the identification of aetiological factors and may minimise protracted biliary investigations. The incidence of "idiopathic" acute pancreatitis in this study was 5-2% (six patients).