Acute Pancreatitis Due to Hypertriglyceridaemia in Pregnancy

Acute Pancreatitis in Pregnancy: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis and Dynamic Nomogram for Risk Assessment

BACKGROUND

Acute pancreatitis is easily confused with abdominal pain symptoms, and it could lead to serious complications for pregnant women and fetus, the mortality was as high as 3.3% and 11.6-18.7%, respectively. However, there is still lack of sensitive laboratory markers for early diagnosis of APIP and authoritative guidelines to guide treatment.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to explore the risk factors of acute pancreatitis in pregnancy, establish, and evaluate the dynamic prediction model of risk factors in acute pancreatitis in pregnancy patients.

STUDY DESIGN

Clinical data of APIP patients and non-pregnant acute pancreases patients who underwent regular antenatal check-ups during the same period were collected. The dataset after propensity matching was randomly divided into training set and verification set at a ratio of 7:3. The model was constructed using Logistic regression, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression, R language and other methods. The training set model was used to construct the diagnostic nomogram model and the validation set was used to validate the model. Finally, the accuracy and clinical practicability of the model were evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 111 APIP were included. In all APIP patients, hyperlipidemic pancreatitis was the most important reason. The levels of serum amylase, creatinine, albumin, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein A1 were significantly different between the two groups. The propensity matching method was used to match pregnant pancreatitis patients and pregnant non-pancreatic patients 1:1 according to age and gestational age, and the matching tolerance was 0.02. The multivariate logistic regression analysis of training set showed that diabetes, triglyceride, Body Mass Index, white blood cell, and C-reactive protein were identified and entered the dynamic nomogram. The area under the ROC curve of the training set was 0.942 and in validation set was 0.842. The calibration curve showed good predictive in training set, and the calibration performance in the validation set was acceptable. The calibration curve showed the consistency between the nomogram model and the actual probability.

CONCLUSION

The dynamic nomogram model we constructed to predict the risk factors of acute pancreatitis in pregnancy has high accuracy, discrimination, and clinical practicability.

Perinatal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by acute pancreatitis

OBJECTIVES

Acute pancreatitis is a rare condition that can be associated with significant complications. The objective of this study is to evaluate the maternal and newborn outcomes associated with acute pancreatitis in pregnancy.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project-Nationwide Inpatient Sample from the United States was performed. All pregnant patients with acute pancreatitis were identified using International Classification of Disease-9 coding from 1999 to 2015. The effect of acute pancreatitis on maternal and neonatal outcomes in pregnancy was evaluated using multivariate logistic regression, while adjusting for baseline maternal characteristics.

RESULTS

From 1999 to 2015, there were a total of 13,815,919 women who gave birth. There were a total of 14,258 admissions of women diagnosed with acute pancreatitis, including 1,756 who delivered during their admission and 12,502 women who were admitted in the antepartum period and did not deliver during the same admission. Acute pancreatitis was associated with increased risk of prematurity, OR 3.78 (95% CI 3.38-4.22), preeclampsia, 3.81(3.33-4.36), postpartum hemorrhage, 1.90(1.55-2.33), maternal death, 9.15(6.05-13.85), and fetal demise, 2.60(1.86-3.62) among women diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. Among women with acute pancreatitis, delivery was associated with increased risk of requiring transfusions, 6.06(4.87-7.54), developing venous thromboembolisms, 2.77(1.83-4.18), acute respiratory failure, 3.66(2.73-4.91), and disseminated intravascular coagulation, 8.12(4.12-16.03).

CONCLUSIONS

Acute pancreatitis in pregnancy is associated with severe complications, such as maternal and fetal death. Understanding the risk factors that may lead to these complications can help prevent or minimize them through close fetal and maternal monitoring.

The Effect of Admission Serum Triglyceride Level on the Prediction of Severity of Acute Pancreatitis in Pregnancy

Purpose

Previous studies indicated that the serum triglyceride level in patients with acute pancreatitis positively correlated with the severity of the disease among the general population. Despite the physiological hypertriglyceridemia in pregnant women, there are no reports on the relationship between serum triglyceride level and the severity of acute pancreatitis in pregnant (APIP) women. This study explores the relationship between serum triglyceride levels and the severity of APIP.

Patients and Methods

Clinical information of APIP patients admitted to the Shengjing Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University was gathered from January 2012 to December 2020 to conduct retrospective research. The participating patients were divided into mild, moderately severe, and severe acute pancreatitis. The clinical outcomes of patients with different serum triglyceride levels (0–2.3 mmol/L, 2.23–5.65 mmol/L, 5.65–11.2 mmol/l, ≥11.2 mmol/L) were analyzed by performing ordinal logistic regression analysis. Receiver operating curve analysis was used to calculate the threshold value of serum triglyceride concentration that can effectively predict the occurrence of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP).

Results

Hypertriglyceridemic acute pancreatitis (HTG-AP) occurred in 47% of APIP patients within the group, with a high prevalence among the Han population. In the present study, the serum triglyceride concentration correlated positively with the severity of APIP (r=0.403, P < 0.05). The adjusted logistic model demonstrated that relative to nominal triglyceride levels, the OR value of SAP were 1.036 (95% CI: 0.401–2.677), 3.429 (95% CI: 1.269–9265), 8.329 (95% CI: 3.713–18.682) with triglyceride at the level of 2.23–5.65 mmol/L, 5.65–11.2 mmol/l and ≥11.2 mmol/L. In APIP patients, a triglyceride concentration of 10.7mmol/L or more upon admission was a predictive value for the occurrence of SAP, with a sensitivity of 0.72 and a specificity of 0.65, AUC: 0.708 (95% CI: 0.620–0.796).

Conclusion

As the serum triglyceride level upon admission increased, the frequency of local and systemic complications increased significantly.

A successful term pregnancy with severe hypertriglyceridaemia and acute pancreatitis. Clinical management and review of the literature

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Acute hyperlipidaemic pancreatitis (HP) may develop in pregnancy in patients with genetic predisposition. There are no accepted guidelines for the management of this rare but life-threatening condition in pregnancy. Plasma exchange (PEX) was suggested as a suitable option to treat HP in pregnancy; however, further evidence from case reports/case series are needed.

METHODS

Three PEX procedures (2000 ml of plasma replaced with 5% albumin) were performed in one week in a pregnant patient at 25 weeks of gestational age with severe HP. Triglyceride related genes (LPL, APOA5, APOE, GPIHBP1, GPD1, LMF1, CREB3L3) were screened by DNA sequencing. Medline and Embase databases were searched electronically in January 2018 using different combinations of the relevant medical subject headings for "pancreatitis in pregnancy" and "therapeutic apheresis".

RESULTS

Gene profiling assessed a combined heterozygous state for the variants pSer19Trp of the APOA5 gene and pCys130Arg of the APOE (allele E4) gene. PEX led to significant and progressive reduction of triglyceride plasma levels along with cholesterol and C-reactive protein. Meanwhile a fast improvement of pregnant clinical condition was observed. This allowed the delivery at term of a healthy newborn without gestational complications. An outcome hardly achievable in patients managed exclusively by a pharmacological approach.

CONCLUSIONS

PEX led to a positive maternal outcome in absence of foetal and gestational complications in a case of severe HP in pregnancy. As clinical trials are lacking, case reports still represent the best way to reasonably implement clinical management of this rare but life-threatening disease.

Abruptio Placentae Caused by Hypertriglyceridemia-Induced Acute Pancreatitis during Pregnancy: Case Report and Literature Review

BACKGROUND

Hormonal effects during pregnancy can compromise otherwise controlled lipid levels in women with hypertriglyceridemia and predispose to pancreatitis leading to increased morbidity for mother and fetus. Elevation of triglyceride levels is a risk factor for development of pancreatitis if it exceeds 1000 mg/dL. Pancreatitis should be considered in emergency cases of abdominal pain and uterine contractions in Emergency Department at any stage of pregnancy. We report a case of abruptio placentae caused by hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis. Also, literature review of cases of acute pancreatitis induced by hypertriglycaemia in pregnancy has been made.

CASE

A 22-year-old woman presented to our Emergency Department, at 35 weeks of gestation, for acute onset of abdominal pain and uterine contractions. Blood tests showed a high rate of triglyceride. The patient was diagnosed with abruptio placentae caused by hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis. Immediate cesarean section was performed and it was observed that blood sample revealed a milky turbid serum. Insulin, heparin, and supportive treatment were started. She was discharged on the 10th day.

CONCLUSION

Consequently, patients with known hypertriglyceridemia or family history should be followed up more closely because any delay can cause disastrous conclusions for mother and fetus. Acute pancreatitis should be considered in pregnant women who have sudden onset, severe, persistent epigastric pain and who have a risk factor for acute pancreatitis.

Are There Differences in the Management of Acute Pancreatitis Cases Due to Severe Hypertriglyceridemia in Pregnant Women?

Background

The aim of this study was to determine the prognosis of severe disease and treatment approaches of both normal and pregnant, especially in patients with severe pancreatitis due to hypertriglyceridemia.

Material/Methods

We included 30 patients (20 females and 10 males) in this study whose follow-ups and treatments were performed after a diagnosis of hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis between January 2011 and May 2017. Patient personal information, such as age, sex, pre-treatment and post-treatment triglyceride levels, receipt of anti-hyperlipidemic treatments or plasmapheresis, and family history, were collected from hospital records and patient files. Patients with severe pancreatitis history, score, and prognosis were included to increase the value of our study. Mild and moderate cases were excluded.

Results

The mean age of the patients was 35±6 years. Twenty-four patients (80%) received an anti-hyperlipidemic treatment before their pancreatitis attacks. Plasmapheresis was performed on 8 patients before their pancreatitis attacks. Eighteen patients (60%) had a family history suggesting familial hypertriglyceridemia. Twelve patients (40%) were pregnant.

Conclusions

The treatment of hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis was mostly confined to supportive, palliative treatments. However, plasmapheresis is a possible treatment option and should be used in the early stages of this disease. The response to medical treatment and support treatment was better in pregnant patients than in the other patient group, and pregnant patients did not require plasmapheresis.