Giant cell arteritis complicated by acute pancreatitis: a case report

INTRODUCTION: We describe a case of giant cell arteritis in a woman who was treated with high-dose systemic corticosteroids and subsequently developed acute pancreatitis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 78-year-old Caucasian woman presented with four weeks of progressive headache and scalp tenderness. One day before ophthalmology assessment, she had experienced visual obscurations in both eyes. Her visual acuity was 6/9 in both eyes, with a right afferent pupillary defect and right swollen optic nerve. She was diagnosed as having temporal arteritis and was urgently treated with high-dose pulsed intravenous and oral corticosteroids. Her previous diet-controlled diabetes needed insulin and oral hyperglycaemic therapy to control erratic blood sugars. On day 8 of treatment with steroids, she became unwell with epigastric pain and vomiting. She was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis and was treated conservatively. CONCLUSION: Acute pancreatitis, a potentially life-threatening condition, is a rare but important side effect of systemic corticosteroids.