[Pancreatitis from drugs-Drugs for treatment of pancreatitis].

BACKGROUND

Drugs are a rare but important cause of acute pancreatitis (AP) due to potential therapeutic consequences, accounting for up to 5% of all cases of AP. The diagnosis of drug-induced AP is challenging due to mostly weak evidence and complex diagnostic criteria.

OBJECTIVE

This review article defines drug-induced AP, summarizes the evidence for drugs associated with AP and highlights the challenges in the diagnosis of this condition. The second part of the article focuses on the main pillars of AP treatment.

CURRENT DATA

The association of most drugs associated with AP is based on case reports and case series but there are no high-quality studies. There is sufficient evidence of a causal relationship for only 40 of more than 500 drugs associated with AP and for almost none of the drugs the causal mechanism has been definitively clarified. Several classification systems and criteria have been proposed to assess whether a drug causally triggers AP, with criteria including the temporal association, the exclusion of other causes and recurrence of AP after re-exposure.

CONCLUSION

The diagnosis of drug-induced AP remains a challenge, with many common drugs being incorrectly associated with AP. There is an urgent need for the development of biomarkers to facilitate the diagnosis of drug-induced AP. Drug treatment for AP is still primarily a needs-based fluid management and efficient analgesia. New and causal therapeutic approaches need clinical validation.