Extracellular phospholipases A2 in relation to systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and systemic complications in severe acute pancreatitis.

The pathophysiology of severe acute pancreatitis (AP) resembles other conditions with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) such as sepsis predisposing to remote organ failure. Because extracellular phospholipases A2 (PLA2) have been implicated in AP, their serum concentrations were analyzed with respect to SIRS and systemic complications in patients with severe AP. The serum samples were collected daily for 12 days in 57 patients with severe AP. SIRS, early organ complications, local complications, and outcome of AP were recorded. Time-resolved fluoroimmunoassays were used for group I and group II PLA2 measurements. Thirty-nine (68.4%) patients fulfilled the criteria of SIRS within 12 days from admission. Pancreatic necrosis was detected in 43 (75.4%) patients. Infected necrosis was found preoperatively or at operation in five (8.8%) patients. Twenty-six (45.6%) and eight (14.0%) patients had respiratory or renal failure, respectively. Seven (12.3%) patients died of their disease. All patients with systemic complications fulfilled the criteria of SIRS. The increasing number of positive SIRS criteria was associated with increased frequency of systemic complications. Pancreatic necrosis was not significantly associated with SIRS. The serum concentration of group II PLA2 was significantly higher in patients with SIRS (p < 0.05) compared with patients without from day 7 onward. The concentration of group II PLA2 increased (p < 0.01) in patients with SIRS but decreased in patients without. The serum concentration of group II PLA2 did not differ significantly with respect to systemic complications. The concentration of group I PLA2 decreased (p < 0.05) similarly in patients with and without SIRS or systemic complications during follow-up, respectively. Early systemic complications of severe AP are associated with SIRS with increasing frequency as the number of positive SIRS criteria increases. Group II PLA2 but not group I PLA2 may have pathophysiologic importance in severe AP-associated SIRS. Increasing serum concentration of group II PLA2 seems to reflect the ongoing systemic inflammation in severe AP-associated SIRS.