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Glasgow-Imrie Criteria for Acute Pancreatitis Severity

The modified Glasgow (Imrie) score counts 8 laboratory criteria within 48 hours of admission for acute pancreatitis (PaO₂ <60 mmHg, age >55, WBC >15, Ca <8 mg/dL, BUN >45 mg/dL, LDH >600, albumin <3.2 g/dL, glucose >180 mg/dL). A score ≥3 predicts severe pancreatitis.

  • Age (years)
  • White cell count (×10⁹/L or ×10³/µL)
  • Glucose (mg/dL or mmol/L)
  • BUN / serum urea (mg/dL or mmol/L)
  • PaO₂ (mmHg or kPa)
  • Serum calcium (mg/dL or mmol/L)
  • Serum albumin (g/dL or g/L)
  • LDH (U/L)
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Interpretation

ResultMeaning
0–2Mild acute pancreatitis predicted
≥ 3Severe acute pancreatitis predicted

Formula

One point each (worst value within 48 h): PaO₂ <8 kPa (60 mmHg); age >55; WBC >15 ×10⁹/L; Ca <2.0 mmol/L; urea >16 mmol/L (BUN >45 mg/dL); LDH >600 U/L; albumin <32 g/L; glucose >10 mmol/L

Clinical pearls

  • Mnemonic PANCREAS: PaO₂, Age, Neutrophils (WBC), Calcium, Renal (urea), Enzymes (LDH; AST >200 in the original Imrie version), Albumin, Sugar.
  • This is the modified (Blamey 1984) version without AST. Validated in both gallstone and alcoholic pancreatitis.
  • Needs 48 h of data; for an admission-time estimate use BISAP.

Examples

glasgow imrie age 60 wbc 16 glucose 200 bun 50 pao2 55 ca 7.5 albumin 3.0 ldh 700modified glasgow score pancreatitis 45 yo, WBC 12, glucose 9 mmol/L, urea 7, PaO2 11 kPa, Ca 2.2, alb 38 g/L, LDH 350

FAQ

What Glasgow score means severe pancreatitis?

A score of 3 or more within 48 hours predicts severe acute pancreatitis.

How is Glasgow-Imrie different from Ranson?

Both use 48-hour labs; Glasgow uses 8 criteria and one set of thresholds for all aetiologies, while Ranson has 11 criteria split between admission and 48 hours.

Evidence

  1. Blamey SL et al. Prognostic factors in acute pancreatitis. Gut 1984;25:1340–6.

Hepatology & GI · Reviewed 2026-10-14 · Methodology