Drug-associated primary acute pancreatitis.

Drug histories were taken from 100 patients in their first attack of acute pancreatitis, and each was matched with a control subject of the same sex who was admitted to hospital as an emergency with acute abdominal pain, whose serum-amylase was within the normal range, and whose age was within three years of the pancreatitis patient's. The major differences between the patient groups was in the use of cardiovascular agents, and this was primarily due to a statistically significant excess of diuretic takers among the pancreatitis patients. There was an associated excess of intake of digoxin and antihypertensive and anti-anginal agents, but neither difference was statistically significant. Other categories of drugs showed no substantial differences. The difference between the pancreatitic patients and controls is almost entirely accounted for by takers of cyclopenthiazide with potassium chloride and of frusemide, especially the former. Further clinical and experimental evidence is required before the role of diuretics and/or potassium chloride in causing acute pancreatitis can be determined.