Researchers found that patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with pancreatitis had worse outcomes than those patients without SLE, and that patients with SLE had a slightly increased risk of acute pancreatitis (AP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP), according to a study presented at Digestive Disease Week 2022.

This study sought to find the rates, risk association, and clinical outcomes of pancreatitis among patients with SLE.

Using the multicenter database Explorys Inc, researchers gathered the data of patients over the age of 18 years with a diagnosis of SLE. From that cohort, researchers then identified patients who developed a diagnosis of AP or CP at least 30 days after SLE diagnosis.

The investigators found that patients with SLE had higher rates of AP and CP (1.81% and 0.79% respectively) when compared to non-SLE patients (0.88% and 0.24% respectively). Patients with a history of SLE also had a higher likelihood of complications of AP, such as sepsis, shock, renal failure, heart attack, pneumonia, and gastrointestinal bleeding, than those without SLE, and a higher likelihood of worse outcomes, such as malnutrition, diabetes, use of pain medications, venous thromboembolism, anxiety, and depression.

The authors stated that further studies are required to both confirm these results and help improve quality for care provided for patients with SLE.

—Allison Casey

Reference:
Alkhayyat M, asif Albakri A, Almomani Ashraf, et al. Risk and outcomes of pancreatitis among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.