Relation between triglycerides and the severity of acute pancreatitis combined with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can exacerbate the severity of acute pancreatitis (AP), and this severity is worsened with increased severity of NAFLD. This study aimed to investigate the relation between serum triglyceride (TG) and the severity of AP with NAFLD by collecting clinical data from AP patients with NAFLD. METHODS: AP patients with NAFLD were divided into 2 groups according to TG levels: hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) group and non-hypertriglyceridemia (NHTG) group. RESULTS: In total, 598 AP patients with NAFLD were enrolled in this study, including 433 in the HTG group and 165 in the NHTG group. Compared with the NHTG group, AP patients in the HTG group were more serious (P < 0.05). The incidence of persistent organ failure (POF), especially persistent respiratory failure, and the ratio of acute peripancreatic fluid collection (APFC) were higher in the HTG group (P < 0.05). Higher TG levels were associated with a higher incidence of APFC (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of APFC was significantly higher in moderate and severe NAFLD than in mild NAFLD. CONCLUSION: HTG may aggravate the severity and local complications of AP combined with NAFLD.