Type 2 diabetes mellitus and the risk of acute pancreatitis

AIMS: Epidemiological evidences indicate that individuals with diabetes may have an increased risk of acute pancreatitis. Therefore, we carried out a meta-analysis to examine the present evidence and to identify the association between type 2 diabetes mellitus and the risk of acute pancreatitis. METHODS: All observational studies and randomized-controlled trials evaluating the relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus and the risk of acute pancreatitis were identified in PubMed (January 1966), Embase (January 1974), Web of Science (January 1986), and Cochrane Library, through March 2012. Relative risk with the corresponding 95% confidence interval was pooled using STATA 12.0. RESULTS: A total of seven observational studies with 15 298 024 patients were identified for the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis of these observational studies showed that type 2 diabetes mellitus was associated with an increased risk of acute pancreatitis (relative risk=1.84; 95% confidence interval 1.45-2.33; P=0.000), with significant heterogeneity (P=0.000, I=93.7%). The positive association was consistent in subgroup analyses according to the study design, geographic area, and sex. Our sensitivity analyses also confirmed the stability of the association. No significant publication bias was observed. CONCLUSION: These outcomes strongly support the relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus and an increased risk of acute pancreatitis. More fundamental research should be carried out to elucidate the biological mechanisms.