Chronobiology of acute pancreatitis in a single Italian centre

OBJECTIVE: Seasonal variation may occur in many different diseases hence influencing awareness in clinical practice. This study aimed to establish seasonal variations of acute pancreatitis by using a validated chronobiological analysis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All cases of acute pancreatitis consecutively observed in fifteen years, i.e., from January 2003 to December 2017, at St. Anna University Hospital of Ferrara, Italy, were included in this study. Accurate statistical and logistic regression analyses were applied to our database. RESULTS: A total number of 1883 consecutive cases of acute pancreatitis were observed. A significant peak was identified in the summer period (p=0.014). Patient stratification, according to age, showed that elderly people had an increased incidence of acute pancreatitis in autumn and summer (being the biliary stone disease the main cause, p=0.011) vs. other seasons (p=0.003). Mortality occurred more prominently in males vs. females, although the latter gender was more prone to acute pancreatitis (p=0.017). CONCLUSIONS: In a single centre of Northern East of Italy, we demonstrated that acute pancreatitis had a clear seasonal variation with a prominent incidence during summer. Various associated factors could contribute to this chronobiological pattern, including gender, age, and biliary stone disease.