Evaluation of Pancreatic Injury in COVID-19 Patients: A Single Center Retrospective Study

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 3, 683 - 90, 09.09.2025

Aycan Acet , Çağla Özdemir , Cumali Yalçın , Hasan Çöl , Türkan Paşalı Kilit , Sertaş Erarslan , Can Özlü , Borahan Bora

https://doi.org/10.37990/medr.1729590

Abstract

Aim: Pancreatic injury has become a significant complication linked to COVID-19 infection. Our study's aim was to compare the clinical and laboratory findings, intensive care requirements, and mortality rates between patients with and without pancreatic enzyme elevation among those diagnosed with COVID-19.
Material and Method: The retrospective investigation was carried out at a tertiary hospital and involved PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients. Data from 457 participants was collected, and 376 eligible participants were analyzed using statistical methods. Patients with amylase or lipase levels up to three times normal were classified as having pancreatic injury, while those with normal levels were the control group. Mann-Whitney U test was utilized for group comparisons. Factors predicting intensive care unit (ICU) admission were identified using logistic regression analysis; p<0.05 is considered statistically significant.
Results: The study involved 376 participants (50 with pancreatic injury and 326 without). Patients with pancreatic injury experienced longer durations of antibiotic therapy (p=0.009), extended hospital stays (p=0.018), and higher rates of ICU admissions within the first week (p=0.045). Biochemically, levels of creatinine (p=0.001), white blood cell (p<0.001), and neutrophils (p<0.001) were significantly elevated, whereas the estimated glomerular filtration rate (p=0.003) was decreased in the pancreatic injury group. Survival rates did not differ significantly between the two groups.
Conclusion: Elevated pancreatic enzyme levels up to three times the upper limit of normal did not significantly impact all-cause mortality, but were linked to higher rates of inflammatory markers and ICU admission in the first week of hospitalization.

Keywords

COVID-19 , pancreatic enzyme elevations , amylase , lipase

Ethical Statement

The study received approval from the local ethics committee at Kütahya Health Sciences University (Approval No. 2023/13-06; Date: 28 November 2023).

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