摘要
The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)is known to cause gastrointestinal symptoms.Recent studies have revealed COVID-19-attributed acute pancreatitis(AP).However,clinical characteristics of COVID-19-attributed AP remain unclear.We performed a narrative review to elucidate relation between COVID-19 and AP using the PubMed database.Some basic and pathological reports revealed expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and transmembrane protease serine 2,key proteins that aid in the entry of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)into the pancreas.The experimental and pathological evaluation suggested that SARS-CoV-2 infects human endocrine and exocrine pancreas cells,and thus,SARS-CoV-2 may have a direct involvement in pancreatic disorders.Additionally,systemic inflammation,especially in children,may cause AP.Levels of immune mediators associated with AP,including interleukin(IL)-1β,IL-10,interferon-γ,monocyte chemotactic protein 1,and tumor necrosis factor-αare higher in the plasma of patients with COVID-19,that suggests an indirect involvement of the pancreas.In real-world settings,some clinical features of AP complicate COVID-19,such as a high complication rate of pancreatic necrosis,severe AP,and high mortality.However,clinical features of COVID-19-attributed AP remain uncertain due to insufficient research on etiologies of AP.Therefore,high-quality clinical studies and case reports that specify methods for differential diagnoses of other etiologies of AP are needed.
