Fatal pancreatitis as a complication of therapy for HIV infection.
Acute pancreatitis in HIV-infected patients with or without AIDS has been reported with increasing frequency over the past several years. Drugs used to treat HIV-infected patients are often the cause. We report a case of a 46-year-old HIV-infected man who presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain and was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. The patient had recently begun taking 2',3'-dideoxyinosine (ddI). He died shortly after admission to the hospital; CT scan and autopsy confirmed the cause of death as hemorrhagic pancreatitis. We briefly review the literature on the incidence and severity of pancreatitis in association with ddI and pentamidine therapy.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Ronald Reagan Institute of Emergency Medicine, George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
M T
MT
Pelucio
T
T
Rothenhaus
M
M
Smith
D J
DJ
Ward
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D000208:Acute Disease; D000336:Aerosols; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D016049:Didanosine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D010419:Pentamidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects*
D000336:Aerosols; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; D010419:Pentamidine; D016049:Didanosine