Clinical practice guidelines for acute pancreatitis in the United States and Japan:similarities and differences

Acute pancreatitis(AP)is defined as sudden inflammation that occurs in the pancreas(1-4).Although most cases of AP are mild,approximately 20%of patients develop severe acute pancreatitis(SAP),which is potentially lethal(3,4).Because of the rapid expansion of knowledge regarding the pathogenesis,diagnosis,and treatment of AP,remaining apprised of the latest information regarding clinical practice can be challenging.Clinical practice guidelines are published statements proposed by a panel of experts and include recommendations regarding the optimal diagnosis and treatment of disease(5).Therefore,many clinicians rely on clinical practice guidelines for patient management.Recently,the American College of Gastroenterology(ACG)published clinical practice guidelines for AP management(1).However,in Japan,clinicians often rely on the 2021 Japanese clinical practice guidelines when managing AP(2).The ACG and Japanese clinical practice guidelines for AP share various recommendations regarding diagnosis,severity assessment,and management of this condition;however,these guidelines also have significant differences.Therefore,this editorial article discusses these similarities and differences.