Although current guidelines do not recommend the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)
in the standard of care of acute pancreatitis (AP), they are often prescribed in clinical
practice, mainly for ulcer stress prophylaxis. In this systematic review and meta-analysis
we evaluated the association between the use of PPIs in the management of AP and various
clinical outcomes. We conducted the systematic research in six databases without restrictions
on January 24th, 2022. We investigated adult patient with AP, who were treated with
PPI compared to conventional therapy. The pooled odds ratios, mean differences, and
corresponding 95% confidence intervals were calculated with random effect model. We
included six RCTs and three cohort studies, consisting of 28,834 patients. We found
a significant decrease in the rate of pancreatic pseudocyst formation in patients
who received PPI treatment. PPI use was associated with a higher risk of GI bleeding,
however this finding could be due to the patients' comorbid conditions. We found no
significant difference in the rates of 7-day mortality, length of hospital stay, and
acute respiratory distress syndrome between the groups. The available data on this
topic are limited; therefore, further well designed RCTs are needed to evaluate the
potential benefits and adverse effects of PPIs in AP.
