ABSTRACT
Experimental and clinical studies have provided some support for the concept that oxidative stress is the common pathway for initiation of acute pancreatitis. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and alpha tocopherols (vitamin E) are the key anti- oxidants in human blood plasma. In present study our aims was to measure the levels of Vitamin-C & Vitamin-E (Alpha- Tocopherol) in patients of acute pancreatitis and to compare the levels with control group as well as to assess the prognostic significance of Vitamin-C & Vitamin-E levels in acute pancreatitis in relation to Ranson’s criteria. Serum levels of vitamin C & E were measured in 50 cases having acute pancreatitis and 20 controls having pain abdomen of non pancreatic origin. Levels of vitamin C and vitamin E were compared with the controls and were correlated to the severity of disease according to Ranson’s criteria. The difference in the levels of vitamin C between the study group and the control group was statistically nonsignificant at the time of admission and at 48 hours. However the difference was statistically significant at 7 days. The difference in the levels of vitamin E between the study group at the admission is statistically non-significant when compared to the levels in the control group at the time of admission, at 48 hours and at 7 days after the admission. No correlation was found between the levels of vitamin C and vitamin E at the time of admission, at 48 hours and at 7 days with the severity of disease according to Ranson’s score. There is an initial fall in the levels of vitamin C with the rising trend towards the end of the 7 days period. The levels of the vitamin E had rising trend towards the end of the 7 days but no statistically significant initial fall in the levels as compared to the control group. Levels of vitamin C and vitamin E have no prognostic significance in the cases of acute pancreatitis.