Acute pancreatitis due to hypertriglyceridemia: report of 2 cases.
Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is a rare but well known cause of acute pancreatitis (AP), which can be a life- threatening complication if the degree of HTG is severe enough. It might be primary in origin or secondary to alcohol abuse, diabetes mellitus, pregnancy, or drugs. A serum triglyceride (TG) level of more than 1,000 to 2,000 mg/dL in patients with type I, IV, or V hyperlipidemia (Fredrickson's classification) is the identifiable risk factor. HTG-induced AP typically presents as an episode of AP or recurrent AP. The clinical course of HTG-induced AP is not different from other causes. Routine management of HTG-induced AP should be similar to other causes. A thorough family history of lipid abnormalities should be obtained, and an attempt to identify secondary causes should be made. The mainstay of treatment includes dietary restriction of fatty meal and lipid-lowering medications (mainly fibric acid derivatives). Although there are limited experiences with plasmapheresis, lipid apheresis, heparinization and insulin application, these can support the treatment of HTG- induced AP. We report two cases of HTG-induced AP which were successfully treated by plasmapheresis.
Bae
Joong Ho
JH
Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Baek
Sang Hyun
SH
Choi
Ho Soon
HS
Cho
Kyung Ran
KR
Lee
Hang Lak
HL
Lee
Oh Young
OY
Yoon
Byung Chul
BC
Hahm
Joon Soo
JS
Lee
Min Ho
MH
Lee
Dong Hoo
DH
Kee
Choon Suhk
CS
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D015228:Hypertriglyceridemia / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000209:etiology*