Retrospective Matched-Cohort Analysis of Acute Pancreatitis Induced by 5-Aminosalicylic Acid–Derived Drugs

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare the clinical course of 5-aminosalicylic acid–derived, drug-induced acute pancreatitis (5-ASA–DIAP) to acute pancreatitis (AP) caused by other etiologies. METHODS: A cohort of patients with 5-ASA–DIAP was established through literature search. As a control AP (CAP) group, a cohort was generated from a registry. Data on the diagnostic procedure, symptoms, enzyme elevation, imaging, severity, and recovery parameters were collected. Causality was assessed using the Naranjo algorithm. RESULTS: Twenty-nine articles were included, which describe 36 patients with fifty-one 5-ASA–DIAP episodes (60.78% female, 39.22% male). There were 88.2% mild, 3.92% moderate, and 7.84% severe cases of AP in the 5-ASA–DIAP group, and 70.6%, 25.5%, and 3.92% such cases in the CAP population, respectively. Symptoms improved significantly faster (mean ± SE, 2.5 ± 0.34 vs 3.74 ± 0.42 days; P = 0.018); however, pancreatic enzyme levels normalized significantly more slowly (6.27 ± 1.53 vs 3.63 ± 0.61 days, P = 0.008) in the 5-ASA–DIAP cohort compared with the CAP group. This study confirms that there are no diagnostic differences between 5-ASA–DIAP and AP of other etiologies. CONCLUSIONS: Fewer moderate but more severe cases were found in the 5-ASA–DIAP group; therefore, 5-ASA–DIAP must be taken as seriously as AP of other etiologies.