Mohammed Nihad1 , Jinu Ibrahim Jamaludeen2
BACKGROUND Clinically, the course of all causes of acute pancreatitis is similar; however, inpatients with severe biliary pancreatitis, we can prevent complications with the help of ERCP. Serum L / A ratio of > 2 could help diagnose alcohol as the causative agent1 . Hence, our study aims at assessing the validity in Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, after assessing the specificity and sensitivity of amylase and lipase in alcoholic and non-alcoholic patients separately and lipase amylase ratio as an indicator to distinguish acute alcoholic from non-alcoholic pancreatitis. We also wanted to study the prevalence of pancreatitis in age group of 20 - 40. METHODS This is a diagnostic test evaluation conducted among 92 inpatients of Department of General Surgery selected through consecutive sampling. After randomly selecting patients admitted with a provisional diagnosis of acute pancreatitis, the first investigator administered the consent form, if accepted, examined the patient, evaluated the laboratory parameters. Then these patients were prospectively followed and evaluated. Data are then analysed using Excel spread sheet version 2019 and SPSS software and sensitivity, specificity, prevalence and diagnostic accuracy were determined. RESULTS Among 92 patients, 80 (87 %), 55 (58.8%) and 25 (27.2%) were found to have pancreatitis, alcoholic and non-alcoholic causes respectively. 35 (38 %) patients were in the age group of 31 – 35 years. It was found that lipase has 94.55 % & 91.6 % sensitivity and specificity in alcoholic and 84 % & 91.6 % sensitivity and specificity in non-alcoholic pancreatitis patients, respectively, and amylase has 69 % & 91.67 % sensitivity and specificity in alcoholic and 72 % & 91.67 % sensitivity and specificity in non-alcoholic pancreatitis respectively. CONCLUSIONS Serum amylase and lipase are inevitable investigations with good sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. Lipase amylase ratio >2 is diagnostic of alcoholic pancreatitis.
