A new Liverpool study, published in Gastroenterology, identifies the signs of COVID-19 related pancreatitis which will enable earlier diagnosis and allow for swifter referral and management. As the global pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) persists, details of how the disease affects humans continue to emerge.

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Acute pancreatitis is a condition where the pancreas becomes inflamed (swollen) over a short period of time. It has been well described that COVID-19 can present with gastrointestinal symptoms. How COVID-19 affected the presentation and progress of acute pancreatitis was unknown.

The Liverpool pancreatic unit, based at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, is the largest pancreas center in the UK and is specialised in the treatment of patients with pancreas cancer, acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cystic lesions, and complex biliary disease. The unit receives in the region of 2,000 referrals a year, of which around 300 are patients with acute pancreatitis.