ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2016 June;175(6):254-61

Copyright © 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Seasonal variations of acute pancreatitis incidence

Borislav HAS ^{1, 2}, Goran KONDŽA ^{1, 2}, Mate GRUBIŠIĆ ¹, Dinko LADIĆ ³, Elizabeta HAS-SCHÖN ⁴

¹ Department of Surgery, Clinical Hospital Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; ² Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University, Osijek Croatia; ³ Department of Gastroenterology, Clinical Hospital Osijek, Osijek, Croatia; ⁴ Department of Biology, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University, Osijek, Croatia

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of seasonal periodic changes of parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcitonin (CT) and vitamin D on acute pancreatitis (AP) incidence and genesis.
METHODS: This study includes 2180 patients with AP, hospitalized at the Surgical and Gastroenterology Department of the Clinical Hospital in Osijek, Croatia, over a fifteen-year period (1997-2012). AP frequency in each month of this period was recorded, and comparisons performed between selected months. Frequency of AP incidence was correlated with average number of sunny hours in each month of a nine-year period (2003-2012). Also, a group of slightly injured patients was tested according to serum calcium and phosphate concentration and 24-hour calcium urinary content in each month of one year period.
RESULTS: Results show higher incidence of AP in March and April in comparison with July, August and September. In October and November more patients with AP were hospitalized compared to summer (July, August, September). A significant negative correlation between the number of sunny hours per month (with exception of March and April) with AP incidence was proven. In the group of slightly injured patients 24-hour urine calcium level was much higher in the summer and fell significantly in November.
CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that variations in PTH and CT activities as well as changeable vitamin D concentrations are crucial for the observed seasonal difference of AP incidence. Factors contributing to AP development may include secondary hyperparathyroidism or/and facilitated PTH activity at low pH values in blood and pancreatic tissue.