Elevated Deoxycholic Acid and Idiopathic Recurrent Acute Pancreatitis: A Case Report With 48 Months of Follow-up

Recurrent pancreatitis is a potentially life-threatening condition with a well-established differential diagnosis. In a significant number of cases, no explanation exists. This case report documents one patient with a clear pattern of recurrent acute pancreatitis and no identifiable cause despite great effort. After 7 years of recurrent symptoms, she was found to have marked elevation of fecal deoxycholic acid (DCA), a secondary bile acid used to precipitate pancreatitis in animal models. This report documents cessation of symptoms/hospitalizations with normalization of her fecal DCA levels. This secondary bile acid is easily measured in stool. Needed now is an observational study of fecal DCA levels in patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis.