Prognostic significance of the absolute lymphocyte count in acute pancreatitis.

The absolute lymphocyte count was calculated with 48 hours of admission in 154 patients with acute pancreatitis. Twenty-three patients had severe pancreatitis and 131 patients had mild pancreatitis. The mean absolute lymphocyte count for the severe group was 880 +/- 102 cells/mm3 and for the mild group, 1,115 +/- 116 cells/mm3. The absolute lymphocyte count accurately predicted 78 percent of the severe attacks and 86 percent of the mild attacks.