Korean J Gastroenterol.
2002 Oct;40(4):282-285.
Acute Pancreatitis Induced by 5-Aminosalicylic Acid in a Patient with Ulcerative Colitis
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Seoul, Korea. ligua@samsung.co.kr
Abstract
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Acute pancreatitis is a rare complication of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) treatment. We recently experienced a case of acute pancreatitis secondary to 5-ASA in a patient with ulcerative colitis (UC). A 25-year-old man was admitted for bloody diarrhea and lower abdominal pain. Mesalazine was used under the diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, but the symptoms were not improved. After symptomatic improvement by steroid treatment, mesalazine was restarted for maintaining the remission. On the next day, he had a sudden severe epigastric pain with elevation of serum amylase and lipase levels. Drug-induced pancreatitis was suspected, and the mesalazine was discontinued. His abdominal pain disappeared, and his serum amylase and lipase levels returned to normal. After the administration of sulfasalazine, however, pancreatitis was relapsed. In conclusion, we suggest that drug-induced pancreatitis should be suspected in any patient who develops new abdominal pain while receiving 5-ASA.