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World J Gastroenterol. Nov 28, 2014; 20(44): 16529-16534
Published online Nov 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i44.16529
Drug induced acute pancreatitis: Does it exist?
Scott Tenner
Scott Tenner, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, State University of New York, Brooklyn, NY 11235, United States
Scott Tenner, Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York, Brooklyn, NY 11235, United States
Author contributions: Tenner S wrote the manuscript based on prior work with Nison Badalov and William Steinberg.
Correspondence to: Scott Tenner, MD, MPH, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, State University of New York, 2211 Emmons Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11235, United States. drtenner@brooklyngi.com
Telephone: +1-51-63160830 Fax: +1-718-3682249
Received: March 10, 2014
Revised: May 8, 2014
Accepted: July 15, 2014
Published online: November 28, 2014
Processing time: 267 Days and 9.8 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: While the literature has reported over 130 drugs as causing acute pancreatitis, the evidence that these drugs have a true causal role is lacking in the vast majority of drugs. While idiopathic pancreatitis is common, accounting for almost a third of patients with acute pancreatitis, drug induced acute pancreatitis is probably an uncommon, perhaps a rare disease. Before a clinician blames a drug as causing acute pancreatitis, a thorough evaluation for more common causes should be made, even a consideration that the disease is merely idiopathic.