Acetaminophen-induced acute pancreatitis. A case report.
BACKGROUND
Drug-induced acute pancreatitis is rare but should not be overlooked in a patient who presents with idiopathic acute pancreatitis. More than 100 drugs have been implicated in causing the disease: acetaminophen has been associated with acute pancreatitis in cases where there has been an overdose of drugs; however, the frequency is rare.


METHODS
We report the case of a 35-year-old woman who presented with acute pancreatitis and severe metabolic acidosis after overdosing on a drug containing acetaminophen. She improved dramatically after intensive care; however, she showed recurrent episodes after re-overdosing on the same drug. With her self re-challenge test, she was diagnosed as having acetaminophen-induced pancreatitis and metabolic acidosis. A review of the relevant literature is also presented.


CONCLUSIONS
Drug-induced acute pancreatitis is often challenging for clinicians and a detailed mechanism is unknown. It is very important to rule out drug-induced pancreatitis when treating pancreatitis with an unknown etiology.
Igarashi
Hisato
H
Department of Gastroenterology, National Hospital Organization, Beppu Medical Center, Beppu, Japan. igaras@intmed3.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Ito
Tetsuhide
T
Yoshinaga
Masahiro
M
Oono
Takamasa
T
Sakai
Hiroyuki
H
Takayanagi
Ryoichi
R
D000082:Acetaminophen / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000138:Acidosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000139:chemically induced*
D000082:Acetaminophen