[Acute pancreatitis in childhood. Is it the same disease in adults?].

BACKGROUND: Acute pancreatitis in children is an uncommon, little known, poorly defined disease and thus is rarely considered in diagnosis of pediatric abdominal pain. It is rare but is being recognized more frequently, and differs from the disease in the adult both in etiology and therapeutic approach.

CLINICAL MATERIAL: Fifty children with acute pancreatitis were managed. Their history and postoperative course were analyzed in a retrospective study.

RESULTS: The clinical presentation was unremarkable; all patients had abdominal pain, specially in epigastrium, and vomiting was the only other clinical sign exhibited by > 80%. More than 40 biliary diseases were the cause of pancreatitis; trauma was the cause in 30%. Diagnosis could be difficult and unnecessary laparotomy was performed in 16 cases (32.0%) instances of suspected acute abdomen. Morbidity included sepsis, diabetic cetoacidosis, and pancreatic pseudocyst. Biliary disease is a frequent cause of both pediatric and adult pancreatitis. They are differences in clinical course and prognosis. In children, pancreatitis is usually confused with appendicitis.