Dergiler / Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care / 2026 / Volume: 7 Issue: 4

Admission serum lipase and ICU mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients: non-pancreatic hyperlipasemia as a marker of renal and multiorgan dysfunction rather than acute pancreatitis

Mustafa Ay(antalya eğitim ve araştırma hastanesi)0000-0001-6210-1083
Serap Avcı Ay(Kemer Devlet Hastanesi)0000-0002-3871-9884
Ezgi Kaya(West Suffolk Hospital)0000-0003-1254-4382
Dilara Tüfek Öztan(Antalya Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi)0000-0003-0242-6307
Şule Asri(Antalya Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi)0000-0001-9972-7020
Sayfa
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Yayın Tarihi
2026-08-15
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⚡ TL;DR(1 Cümlede Hızlı Çıkarım)

Isolated lipase elevation should be interpreted within clinical and imaging context rather than triggering a pancreatitis-directed work-up on its own.

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Amaç & Hipotez:Aims: Serum lipase is frequently elevated in critically ill patients, and non-pancreatic hyperlipasemia may be misread as acute pancreatitis.
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Temel Bulgular & Veri:Using a COVID-19 ICU cohort as a model of severe critical illness, we examined whether admission lipase independently predicts ICU mortality and whether lipase elevation corresponds to acute pancreatitis or instead primarily reflects renal and multiorgan dysfunction.
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Sonuç & Katkı:Isolated lipase elevation should be interpreted within clinical and imaging context rather than triggering a pancreatitis-directed work-up on its own.
🔬Tür:Modelleme & Sayısal Simülasyon
📍Kapsam:2020 Verileri
⚙️Değişkenler:Lipase · pancreatitis · critical illness

Abstract

Aims: Serum lipase is frequently elevated in critically ill patients, and non-pancreatic hyperlipasemia may be misread as acute pancreatitis. Using a COVID-19 ICU cohort as a model of severe critical illness, we examined whether admission lipase independently predicts ICU mortality and whether lipase elevation corresponds to acute pancreatitis or instead primarily reflects renal and multiorgan dysfunction. Methods: We retrospectively studied 219 adults with RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 admitted to a tertiary ICU in 2020. Admission lipase was entered into a predefined multivariable logistic regression for all-cause ICU mortality, adjusted for age, gender, comorbidities, creatinine, PaO₂/FiO₂, LDH, NLR, and troponin. Peak lipase defined the hyperlipasemia phenotype, and acute pancreatitis was diagnosed by the revised Atlanta criteria. Renal function was assessed by CKD-EPI 2021 eGFR. Results: ICU mortality was 54.3%. Hyperlipasemia occurred in 58 patients (26.5%) and marked hyperlipasemia (>201 U/L) in 11, whereas clinically diagnosed acute pancreatitis was identified in only 1 (0.5%). Admission lipase did not discriminate mortality (AUC 0.46; 95% CI 0.39–0.54) and was not an independent predictor (OR 0.88 per 10 U/L; 95% CI 0.73–1.06); older age and lower PaO₂/FiO₂ were the dominant predictors. Hyperlipasemia was more frequent with eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m² (35.6% vs 21.9%; p=0.045) but did not stratify mortality within renal-function categories. Conclusion: In critically ill patients, hyperlipasemia was common but rarely represented acute pancreatitis and did not independently predict mortality, behaving instead as a marker of renal and multiorgan dysfunction. Isolated lipase elevation should be interpreted within clinical and imaging context rather than triggering a pancreatitis-directed work-up on its own.

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Bu Makaleye Atıf Yap

Ay, M., Ay, S. A., Kaya, E., Öztan, D. T., Asri, Ş. (2026). Admission serum lipase and ICU mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients: non-pancreatic hyperlipasemia as a marker of renal and multiorgan dysfunction rather than acute pancreatitis. Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care, Volume: 7 Issue: 4. https://doi.org/10.47582/jompac.1969946

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