Immunologic and genetic biomarkers in acute pancreatitis

Abstract

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a severe inflammatory condition whose incidence continues to rise worldwide, causing significant mortality. The correct and immediate detection of medical conditions remains essential for delivering optimal patient care and better treatment results. Current diagnostic approaches exhibit limited specificity and sensitivity, hindering their ability to provide reliable prognostic information. Researchers have conducted extensive studies to discover and validate dependable biomarkers that help diagnose and evaluate the severity and predict the outcome of AP. The research investigations are organized into three distinct sections, which examine genetic elements such as non-coding RNAs and gene expression profiles, and immunological elements including cytokines, chemokines, acute phase reactants, and heterogeneous elements which encompass other relevant biomarkers. This review examines current research findings and potential methods that combine different biomarker panels to improve AP diagnosis, severity prediction, prognosis, and individualized patient management. Moreover, it comprehensively synthesizes immunologic, genetic, and classical biomarkers, offering an integrated clinical roadmap for AP management, and also evaluates classical biomarkers (amylase, lipase, trypsinogen-2) that remain clinical cornerstones for AP diagnosis.