AP is an inflammatory disease with a highly variable clinical course that is potentially lethal. This disease is currently the leading cause of gastrointestinal-related hospital admissions in the United States and continues to rise in incidence. The inciting event leading to the development of AP is the premature activation of the digestive pro-enzyme trypsinogen to trypsin within pancreatic acinar cells, resulting in pancreatic auto-digestion and inflammation. Inflammation localized to the gland can subsequently progress to a systemic inflammatory response affecting distant organs.