Is obesity an indicator of complications and mortality in acute pancreatitis? An updated meta-analysis.

Objective: To provide a meta-analyisis on whether obesity could be a prognostic indicator on the severity, development of complications and mortality of acute pancreatitis (AP).

Methods: Eligible articles were retrieved using electronic databases. Clinical studies evaluating the association between obesity and disease course of patients with AP were included. Weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated and pooled using RevMan 4.2.8.

Results: In all, 12 clinical studies with a total of 1483 patients were included in the analysis. Obese patients had a significantly increased risk of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP; RR=2.20, 95% CI 1.82-2.66, P<0.05), local complication (RR=2.68, 95% CI 2.09-3.43, P<0.05), systemic complication (RR=2.14, 95% CI 1.42-3.21, P<0.05) and in-hospital mortality (RR=2.59, 95% CI 1.66-4.03, P<0.05) compared with non-obese patients.

Conclusions: Obesity is a definite risk factor of morbidity and in-hospital mortality for AP and may serve as a prognostic indicator.