Diabetes is an independent predictor of severe acute pancreatitis

We aimed to determine the effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) on the severity of acute pancreatitis (AP) and whether diabetes is a predictor of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). A total of 181 patients diagnosed with a first attack of AP in our hospital were retrospectively evaluated. AP severity was evaluated and compared between diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Independent factors predicting SAP were identified with a binary logistic regression model. Of the 164 patients [108 (65.9%) women, 56 (34.1%) men] enrolled in the study, 35 patients (21.3%) had been diagnosed with DM, while 129 (78.7%) did not have DM. SAP, necrotizing pancreatitis, and local complications were observed to be more common among diabetic patients compared to non-diabetic patients (all P < 0.001), while the incidences of systemic complications and transient or persistent organ failure were similar between the groups. The incidences of DM and cancer were higher in the SAP group (P < 0.001 and P = 0.033, respectively). The presence of DM (OR: 3.246, 95% CI: 1.278–8.244, P = 0.013), high (≥3) Ranson score (OR: 3.529, 95% CI: 1.342–9.280, P = 0.011), and high maximum C-reactive protein level (OR: 1.005, 95% CI: 1.001–1.010, P = 0.046) were independent risk factors predicting SAP. DM is both a risk factor for SAP and an independent predictor of SAP. Evaluation of the presence of DM at the time of diagnosis can help predict SAP in a considerably early phase.