The Risk of Vitamin D Deficiency, Osteoporosis, and Fractures in Acute Pancreatitis

Objectives A few past studies have found increased utilization of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and prevalence of osteoporosis in acute pancreatitis (AP). Our aim was to obtain a survey of bone diseases after a sentinel episode of AP. Methods A database (Explorys), an aggregate of electronic health record from 26 integrated United States healthcare systems, was queried. A cohort of patients with a Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine - Clinical Terms diagnosis of AP between 2014 and 2019, after excluding patients with selected medical conditions and medications that are associated with poor bone health, was identified. The prevalence of new diagnoses of vitamin D deficiency (VDD), osteoporosis, and fractures in the study cohort was evaluated. Age-, race-, and sex-based distributions and risk factors were determined through univariate and multivariate analyses. Results Of the 36,087,380 individuals in the database, we identified 256,580 (0.71%) with AP. In multivariate analysis, patients with AP were more likely to develop VDD (odds ratio [OR], 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24-1.26; P < 0.0001), osteoporosis (OR, 1.89; CI, 1.81-1.85; P < 0.0001), and fractures (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.57-1.59; P < 0.0001). Conclusions Acute pancreatitis was associated with increased risk of VDD, osteoporosis, and fractures.