The epidemiology of acute pancreatitis in a tertiary care hospital in Dubai

Background: The prevalence of acute pancreatitis is rising especially in the Western world, but the prevalence remains unknown in most Middle Eastern Countries. Acute pancreatitis has been attributed with multiple etiologies with the two most common being alcohol abuse disorder and gallstones. The incidence and prevalence of it in the United Arab Emirates are yet to be reported. Materials and Methods: The Atlanta criteria were used for the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis and applied to patients that have been admitted to a single tertiary center in the year 2021. Several variables were investigated including gender, age, clinical presentation, etiology, radiological and laboratory results, complications, and outcome. Moreover, the Bedside Index for Severity in Acute Pancreatitis score was used to assess and determine the severity of acute pancreatitis in these patients. Results: Nineteen patients were identified in our database with 52% being males. The mean age of patients was 41 years. The most frequent presentation was abdominal pain in 100% of our patients. Moreover, the most common etiology identified was idiopathic (52.63%), followed by biliary (21.05%). The mortality rate was 0%. Conclusion: This is the first retrospective study in Dubai on acute pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is a life-threatening condition with multiple etiologies. Physicians should consider multifactorial acute pancreatitis in patients with different comorbidities.