Predictive value of C-reactive protein/albumin ratio in acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a severe inflammation of the pancreas presented with sudden onset and severe abdominal pain and has high morbidity and mortality rate. Although its etiology is not known for certain, it is mostly associated with gallstones and alcohol.[1] It is associated with intra-acinar activation of proteolytic enzymes, leukocyte chemoattraction, release of cytokines, oxidative stress and microcirculatory injury.[2-4] The common factor in all these mechanisms is an excessive inflammatory response.The prognosis of the disease varies depending on the severity of the disease. Approximately 75%-80% of cases progress mildly and can be cured solely with intravenous fluid treatment and supportive care. The remaining cases progress with mortality and severe complications up to30%-50%.[5] For this reason, early diagnosis of the disease and determination of a therapeutic strategy according to disease severity are of great importance. Several scoring systems are used in order to determine the disease severity.