Identification of the Impact of Acute Pancreatitis on Quality of Life

Identification of the Impact of Acute Pancreatitis on Quality of Life in Discharged Chinese Patients: a One-year Follow-up Study

In abdomen, the pancreas as a gland is involved in the digestive and endocrine system by secreting digestive enzymes and insulin. Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common inflammatory condition of the pancreas with symptoms of sudden abdominal pain and high temperature which may develop to severe complications in some patients. The incidence of AP was roughly 33.74 cases per 100, 000 person-years around the world but varies in different regions which America has the highest incidence of 58.20 cases per 100 000 person-years. There are very few studies published on AP in China, while Japanese national survey in 2011 estimated an incidence rate of 49.4 per 100,000 population and a study in Taiwan showed an annual average incidence of 36.9 per 100,000 persons with a slight change over ten years.

In most cases, patient with AP will start to recover within a week, but the patient quality of life (QoL) is still a big concern for disease management. It quantitatively measures the physical, mental and social wellbeing of individuals or their life satisfaction by questionnaires or surveys. Although very few studies have demonstrated the effect of AP on patient QoL, there is accumulating evidence to show its importance. Some studies reported no differences in QoL between AP patients and age-matched healthy people, whereas others showed QoL was significantly impaired due to AP. A large population-based follow-up study is needed to evaluate the impact of acute pancreatitis on quality of life. In addition, as the population investigated in most research was European based, the QoL evaluation of patients after AP among the Chinese population is also essential.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Acute pancreatitis.
• Must be able to response an online survey.

Exclusion Criteria:

• N/A