Blood sugar level as an indicator of necrosis in patients of gallstone induced acute pancreatitis

Abstract

Acute necrotizing pancreatitis is a severe disease with more mortality as compared to interstitial pancreatitis. A screening test which is readily available for the detection of pancreatic necrosis would aid a lot in the early management of gallstone induced acute necrotizing pancreatitis. This study was conducted in patients of gallstone induced acute pancreatitis presenting to the emergency department of Indira Gandhi medical college, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. 61 patients were included in this study. Initial blood sugar levels were compared to the occurrence of pancreatic necrosis. We concluded that normal or low blood sugar level reflects absence of necrosis in acute pancreatitis. Therefore, it may be used to rule out the possibility of acute necrotizing pancreatitis. This will help a lot in management of such patients in areas where resources are limited and scarce.