Atherogenic Index of Plasma Is a Potential Biomarker for Severe Acute Pancreatitis: A Prospective Observational Study

Background: The atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) reflects the levels of triglycerides (TG) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between the AIP and severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Materials and methods: Patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) were prospectively enrolled from March 2015 to June 2019. The severity of AP was classified according to the 2012 revised Atlanta classification. Mild and moderately severe AP were categorized as non-SAP. The AIP is calculated as log(TG/HDL). Results: A total of 323 patients were enrolled. The etiologies of AP were gallstone in 171 patients (52.9%), alcohol in 122 patients (37.8%), and hypertriglyceridemia in 30 patients (9.3%). Twenty-four patients (7.4%) were classified as SAP. The AIP was significantly higher in the SAP group compared to the non-SAP group (p < 0.001). The AIP was positively correlated with the Atlanta classification (R = 0.256, p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, the AIP was found to be an independent predictive factor for SAP (OR = 4.571; CI = 1.913–10.922; p = 0.001). Conclusions: The AIP is a potential biomarker for the prediction of SAP in clinical practice. This result provides that impaired lipid metabolism is associated with the severity of pancreatitis.