We carried out metabolic investigations of 26 patients with severe forms of acute pancreatitis which were evaluated by an organ score. We formed six groups from this data: survivors and deceased in the first week, the second week, and after a further two weeks of illness. The amino acid patterns in plasma and muscles deviated considerably from normal at all times in both the surviving and the deceased patients. In particular, changes in the concentrations of branched-chain amino acids and glutamine in the muscle tissue have a prognostic value. In the range two to four (normal range: above 20), the factor glutamine VAL + LEU + ILE characterizes a prefinal condition in non-survivors. This factor increased in patients recovering from the illness from 6 to values over 20. Non-survivors (NS) had higher plasma levels of glucose and glucagon compared to surviving patients. Plasma glucagon concentrations in NS reached levels up to 4,000 pg/mL at admission, which declined gradually to normal range during the course of the illness.

Keywords:
Acute pancreatitis, Amino acid metabolism, Glutamine, Organ score
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© 1986 S. Karger AG, Basel
1986
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