A Review on Acute Pediatric Pancreatitis

Nowadays, acute pancreatitis is not a rare disease in children and adolescences and the incidence of the disease has increased in pediatric patients over the past two decades. Acute pancreatitis in children can be triggered by a wide array of factors such as drugs, infections, trauma, anatomic anomalies and metabolic disorders. The signs and symptoms of acute pancreatitis are non-specific with an age- related pattern. The most common symptoms are upper abdominal pain and vomiting. Other less common signs and symptoms include abdominal discomfort, tachycardia, fever, and hypotension, jaundice and back pain. Since the signs and symptoms of acute pancreatitis are non-specific, it should be considered during the differential diagnosis of abdominal pain in children and needs prompt treatment because it may become a life-threatening disorder. Diagnosis of acute pancreatitis is principally achieved by meeting two of the following criteria: compatible clinical symptoms including abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or back pain; > 3 fold increase in serum amylase and/or lipase; presence of radiographic evidence including pancreatic edema on ultrasound or computed tomography. To provide a framework to review the diagnosis in pediatrics and identify evidence-based guidelines to manage acute pancreatitis in children, the current concepts on the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric acute pancreatitis are summarized.