Objective: To investigate the risk factors for early peripancreatic infection secondary to acute pancreatitis (AP). Methods: The clinical data of 826 consecutive AP patients admitted within 72 h after onset between January 2010 and October 2016 in Xiangya Hospital, Central South University were analyzed retrospectively. Of the patients, the clinical characteristics and results of blood tests within 24 h after admission were compared between cases who developed peripancreatic infection and those without peripancreatic infection during hospitalization to analyze the risk factors for peripancreatic infection, and further, the risk factors for peripancreatic infection in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) were analyzed separately. Results: Of the 826 AP patients, 30 cases (3.6%) developed peripancreatic infection. The results of univariate and multivariate Logistic analyses showed that the persistent organ failure for more than 48 h (OR=21.143, P<0.001), male sex (OR=11.659, P=0.003) and decrease of albumin (OR=0.872, P=0.006) within 24 h after admission were independent risk factors for developing peripancreatic infection. Of the 59 patients with SAP, 21 cases (35.6%) developed peripancreatic infection during their hospital stay. The results of univariate and multivariate Logistic analyses revealed that persistent organ failure for more than one week (OR=7.47, P=0.007) was the independent risk factor for developing the peripancreatic infection. Conclusion: Persistent organ failure in the early stage, male sex and the decrease of albumin within 24 h after admission are risk factors for developing peripancreatic infection in AP patients, and the risk of peripancreatic infection is increased with the prolongation of the duration of organ failure.