Early evaluation of waist-to-height ratio for the prediction of severity of acute pancreatitis

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and the severity of disease in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP). Methods This prospective study included AP patients treated from May 2019 to December 2019 in the Department of Gastroenterology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to determine the optimal threshold values for predicting AP severity. Risk factor analysis was performed via logistic regression analysis. Results Of 258 patients included in this study 77 (29.8%) were diagnosed with mild AP (MAP), 120 (46.5%) with moderately severe AP (MSAP), and 61 (23.6%) with severe AP (SAP). WHtR, waist circumference, weight, and body mass index were all associated with AP severity, and the highest was under the ROC value was observed for WHtR. The optimal threshold WHtR value for predicting SAP was 0.567. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified WHtR ≥ 0.567 as independent risk factor for SAP. Moreover, the hospital stay was longer and intensive care unit admission rate was higher among AP patients with a WHtR ≥ 0.567. Conclusion The waist-to-height ratio was found to be closely related to the severity of AP and an independent risk factor for severe AP. This simple parameter can be used to effectively predict severe AP in an early stage, thereby facilitating early intervention and improving patient outcomes.