Assessment of Role of Biomarkers for Diagnosis of Acute Pancreatitis: An Observational Study at a Tertiary Care Centre

ABSTRACT

Background: Serum amylase has been used for diagnosis of acute pancreatitis in hospitals. Majority of the clinicians ask for amylase as well as lipase for diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. However, serum marker lipase is considered to have better accuracy in many countries. Aim: The objective of this study was to find which single marker to be used in for diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. Methods: A total of 100 patients, 54 were females and 46 were males were included in the study. Patients willing to participate were included in the study. The serum lipase and amylase were taken from 100 patients. Patients were assured the confidentiality and anonymity of the collected data. Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and positive and negative likelihood ratios were calculated. Results: out of 100 patients studied 54 (54%) were females and 46 (46%) were males. The sensitivity and specificity of amylase at 3-fold above normal limit were 61.6% and 98.25% while those of lipase were 95.7% and 98.9% respectively. Conclusions: Both serum enzymes serum lipase and amylase had good diagnostic accuracy in our study. Serum lipase can be used as an alternative over serum amylase for diagnosis of acute pancreatitis.