Table I

Clinical features of patients with and without hyperamylasemia during acute gastroenteritis

Hyper amylasemia

Normal amylasemia

Variables

N = 50 (>115 U/L)

N = 457 (≤ 115 U/L)

O.R.a

C.I. 95% b

Sex (M/F)

21/29

203/254

0.9

0.4–7.9

Mean age (range)

41.8 ± 20.15 (10–80)

41.4 ± 19.1 (4–92)

(-)

(-)

Antibiotic therapy before

9 (18%)

63 (13.7%)

1.3

0.5 – 3.0

admission

Number

9.2 ± 5.8

7.5 ± 4.7 ^*

(-)

(-)

evacuations/day

Duration evacuations

3.17 ± 3.9

3.48 ± 5.3

(-)

(-)

before admission (days)

Fever > 38°C

40 (80.0%)

258 (56.4%) ^**

3.0

1.4–7.0

Vomiting

36 (72.0%)

287 (62.8%)

1.5

0.7–3.1

Abdominal pain

45 (90.0%)

395 (86.4%)

1.4

0.5–4.7

Severity score:

Grade 1

10 (6.0%)

160 (94%) °

1.0

Grade 2

36 (11.5%)

278 (88.5%) °

2.1

Grade 3

4 (17.3%)

19 (82.7%) °

2.5

Dehydration

9 (18%)

39 (8.5%) ^*

2.0

0.8–4.8

Potential predisposing

factors

Cholelithiasis or

15 (30.0%)

49 (10.7%) ^**

3.5

1.6–7.3

previous

cholecystectomy

Chronic gastritis and/or

11 (22.0%)

47 (10.2%) ^*

2.4

1.0–5.3

duodenal ulcer

^* P < 0.05; ^** P < 0.01;^a, O.R. = Odds ratio; ^b C.I = Confidence interval 95%, ° Chi-square for linear trend 4.3, P < 0.05.

Tositti et al. BMC Infectious Diseases 2001 1:18   doi:10.1186/1471-2334-1-18