Published online Sep 6, 2022. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i25.8837
Peer-review started: December 8, 2021
First decision: January 8, 2022
Revised: January 24, 2022
Accepted: June 30, 2022
Article in press: June 30, 2022
Published online: September 6, 2022
Processing time: 260 Days and 17.3 Hours
The United Kingdom government introduced lockdown restrictions for the first time on 23 March 2020 due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. These were partially lifted on 15 June and further eased on 4 July. Changes in social behaviour, including increased alcohol consumption were described at the time. However, there were no data available to consider the impact of these changes on the number of alcohol-related disease admissions, specifically alcohol-related acute pancreatitis (AP). This study evaluated the trend of alcohol-related AP admissions at a single centre during the initial COVID-19 lockdown.
To evaluate the trend in alcohol-related AP admissions at a single centre during the initial COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom.
All patients admitted with alcohol-related AP from March to September 2016 to 2020 were considered in this study. Patient demographics, their initial presen
One hundred and thirty-six patients were included in the study. The highest total number of AP admissions was seen in March–September 2019 and the highest single-month period was in March–May 2020. Admissions for first-time presentations of AP were highest in 2020 compared to other year groups and were significantly higher compared to previous years, for example, 2016 (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the rate of admissions decreased by 38.89% between March–May 2020 and June–September 2020 (P < 0.05), coinciding with the easing of lockdown restrictions. This significant decrease was not observed in the previous year groups during those same time periods. Admissions for recurrent AP were highest in 2019. The median length of hospital stay did not differ between patients from each of the year groups.
An increased number of admissions for alcohol-related AP were observed during months when lockdown restrictions were enforced; a fall in figures was noted when restrictions were eased.
Core tip: The coronavirus disease 2019 lockdowns have seen a shift in the population’s social behaviour. Studies have shown an increase in alcohol consumption in the general population over the lockdown period. A retrospective study was performed and observed a rise in alcohol-related pancreatitis admissions during the pandemic. In this context we observed higher admission numbers for alcohol-related pancreatitis during the time when restrictions were in place, and numbers reduced once restrictions were eased.