Prevalence and clinical characteristics of increased pancreatic enzymes in patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome

• Published in: PLoS neglected tropical diseases Vol. 17; no. 11; p. e0011758
• Main Authors: Zhang, Zhongwei, Hu, Xue, Jiang, Qunqun, Du, Qian, Liu, Jie, Luo, Mingqi, Deng, Liping, Xiong, Yong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Francisco Public Library of Science 01-11-2023; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Abdomen; Alcoholism; Amylases; Anorexia; Blood; Care and treatment; China; Coagulation; Comorbidity; Complications and side effects; Consciousness; Creatinine; Demographics; Development and progression; Diabetes; Diagnosis; Diarrhea; Digestive enzymes; Enzymes; Fever; Headaches; Health aspects; Heart diseases; Hypertension; Kidneys; Kinases; Laboratories; Lipase; Liver; Liver diseases; Load distribution; Medical prognosis; Mortality; Nausea; Normal distribution; Pain; Pancreas; Parameters; Patients; Respiratory distress syndrome; Serum; Serum levels; Statistical analysis; Survival; Thrombocytopenia; Vomiting; China
• ISSN: 1935-2735; 1935-2727; 1935-2735
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011758

Background and aim The increased pancreatic enzymes have recently been reported in patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS). However, its significance has not been elucidated clearly. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence, clinical characteristics of elevated pancreatic enzymes (amylase and lipase) and its association with AP in patients with SFTS. Methods Data of demographics, comorbid conditions, clinical symptoms, laboratory parameters and survival time of patients with SFTS were collected. Patients were assigned into the non-AP and AP groups according to the diagnostic criteria of AP. Patients in the non-AP group were divided into the normal (3xULN) groups according to the serum amylase and lipase levels, and then their clinical data were compared. Results A total of 284 patients diagnosed with SFTS were retrospectively enrolled, including 248 patients in the non-AP group and 36 patients in the AP group. Patients in the non-AP group were composed of 48, 116 and 84 patients in the normal, EPE and HPE groups, respectively. Compared with patients in the normal and EPE groups, patients in the HPE group had higher serum levels of laboratory parameters referring to liver, kidney, heart and coagulation system injury, as well as higher viral load. The cumulative survival rate of patients in the HPE group was significantly lower than that of patients in the normal group. In addition, patients in the AP group also had higher serum levels of laboratory variables reflecting liver, heart, coagulation dysfunction and viral load than patients in the HPE group. The cumulative survival rate of patients in the AP group was significantly lower than that of patients in the HPE group. Conclusion The increased pancreatic enzymes are very common in patients with SFTS, but they are not always associated with AP. Though AP accounts for the majority of deaths for patients with elevated pancreatic enzymes, patients with pancreatic enzymes >3xULN except for AP also have a high in-hospital mortality rate.