Medication as a Cause of Acute Pancreatitis

Patient: Male, 74 Final Diagnosis: Acute pancreatitis Symptoms: Epigastric pain radiating to the back Medication: Furosemide Clinical Procedure: — Specialty: Gastroenterology and Hepatology OBJECTIVE: Challenging differential diagnosis BACKGROUND: Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory condition of the pancreas characterized clinically by epigastric abdominal pain and elevated levels of pancreatic enzymes in the blood. Drug-induced pancreatitis has recently gained more attention and as a result, physicians are screening more frequently for medications as a cause of acute pancreatitis. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 74-year-old man with a significant past medical history for coronary artery disease, sleep apnea, and gastroesophageal reflux disease who presented with epigastric pain radiating to the back. After a careful history was taken, it was found the patient recently started furosemide; therefore, a diagnosis of furosemide-induced acute pancreatitis was made. CONCLUSIONS: Furosemide and other medications should be strongly considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with acute pancreatitis.