Fulminant Pancreatitis Due to Disseminated Histoplasmosis: Case Report and Literature Review

Acute pancreatitis (AP), an inflammatory disease of the pancreas, is clinically classified into mild AP, moderately severe, and severe based on local complications and presence of organ failure. Histoplasmosis, caused by the dimorphic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum, typically presents with pulmonary disease. Extrapulmonary disease/disseminated histoplasmosis can affect the gastrointestinal tract, with only a few reported cases of pancreatitis secondary to the above. We describe a rare case of a young woman who presented with necrotizing pancreatitis secondary to histoplasmosis. The etiology of pancreatitis remained unclear throughout her hospital stay despite extensive workup performed. Diagnosis of disseminated histoplasmosis was based on autopsy findings.