Red Blood Cell Distribution Width-to-Platelet Count Ratio as a Prognostic Marker for Predicting Severity and Various Outcomes in Acute Pancreatitis.

INTRODUCTION

The natural course of acute pancreatitis is quite variable, where most patients with mild acute pancreatitis usually follow a self-limiting course, whereas the mortality is quite higher in severe acute pancreatitis. Hence, early prediction of severity is essential for proper triaging. The study aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of red blood cell distribution width (RDW)-to-platelet count ratio (RPR) as a prognostic marker in acute pancreatitis.

METHODS

It was a prospective, observational study conducted on consecutive patients with acute pancreatitis. All participants were subjected to routine laboratory investigations and radiological evaluation using transabdominal ultrasound at the time of admission and a contrast-enhanced CT scan after 96 hours. All the parameters, including RPR, and various severity scores, such as the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) score, Ranson score, Bedside Index for Severity in Acute Pancreatitis (BISAP) score, and Modified Marshall score, were compared between patients with mild or moderate to severe acute pancreatitis by using standard statistical tests.

RESULTS

A total of 200 patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis were enrolled in this study, out of which the most common etiologies of acute pancreatitis were alcohol abuse (88 (44%)) and gallstones (57 (28.5%)). The overall mortality in our patients was seven (3.5%), which occurred only in severe acute pancreatitis. The mean RPR of patients with mild and moderately severe to severe acute pancreatitis were 0.07 ± 0.02 and 0.12 ± 0.09, respectively (p < 0.05), whereas the mean RPR of patients who survived and those who did not were 0.09 ± 0.06 and 0.12 ± 0.05, respectively (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

RPR calculated at the time of admission is found to be an independent prognostic marker in acute pancreatitis with the potential to identify individuals at risk for developing severe acute pancreatitis as well as mortality.