Aetiology

Everyone is generally taught the mnemonic

‘GET SMASHED’, in relation to the causes of acute pancreatitis.

In practice and most research, gall stone disease and alcohol consumption account for 75-80% of all cases of acute pancreatitis.

Only a very small number are caused by one of the other causes listed with the remaining number being labelled ‘idiopathic.’

The UK Working Party on Acute Pancreatitis states that the aetiology should be established in 80% of cases with no more that 20% labelled as idiopathic [4].

Learning Bite

The majority of cases of acute pancreatitis are caused by gall stones and alcohol