title: [Epigastric pain and abnormal ECG].
abstract: We report on a 50-year old man who presented with upper abdominal pain and new T-wave inversions in the anterior leads of the electrocardiogramm. Since the patient additionally had cardiovascular risk factors (positive family history, smoking, hypercholesterinemia and hypertension) he was initially thought to have an acute coronary syndrome. Moreover, he had elevated serum levels of amylase and lipase, and together with typical findings of abdominal ultrasound he was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis responsible for the patient's pain. The ECG changes persisted during the hospital stay, but had fully normalised three weeks later. Further cardiologic evaluation yielded normal results. Thus, the ECG-abnormalities could be attributed to the acute pancreatitis, which can cause ECG-pathologies mimicking an acute coronary syndrome in up to 30%. Knowledge of there findings is important in order to prevent wrong therapeutic decisions.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Innere Medizin, Kantonsspital Schaffhausen.
authors.forename: Ch
authors.initials: Ch
authors.lastname: Laus
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Danner
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rüttimann
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D000208:Acute Disease; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*