The Association Between Chronic Aspirin Treatment and the Clinical Course and Outcomes of Acute Pancreatitis

Animal model studies have shown that pretreatment with the anti-inflammatory drug Aspirin had a positive effect on acute pancreatitis outcomes. The impact of Aspirin on acute pancreatitis outcomes in humans is unknown. We aimed to determine the association between chronic Aspirin treatment and the clinical course and outcomes of acute pancreatitis in a large cohort. This retrospective single-center observational study included all adult patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of acute pancreatitis between January 2008 and June 2021. Patients were divided into 2 groups: chronic Aspirin treatment group and non-Aspirin treatment group. The differences in baseline comorbidities were adjusted for by propensity score matching. The study included 2308 patients, of whom 596 (25.8%) were chronically treated with Aspirin. Overall, chronic Aspirin treatment was associated with increased 30-day mortality with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.91 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21-2.97; P = 0.005). It was also associated with severe pancreatitis (OR, 2.61; 95% CI, 2.00-3.39; P < 0.001). In the propensity matched cohort, 30-day mortality rates (OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.20-1.31; P = 0.2) and severe pancreatitis rates (OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.83-1.75; P = 0.3) were similar between the two groups. Among patients with acute pancreatitis, chronic Aspirin treatment was not associated with decreased disease severity or reduced 30-day mortality rate.