Type 2 Autoimmune Pancreatitis and Ulcerative Colitis an Uncommon Association: About One Case

Abstract

Autoimmune pancreatitis is one of the less recognised associations and remains poorly understood. The overall reported prevalence of autoimmune pancreatitis in inflammatory bowel disease patients is 0.4% [5, 6] considering the only two studies in the literature specifically examining this issue, and that concern Asian populations. Autoimmune pancreatitis in the setting of inflammatory bowel disease is challenging to diagnose but a clinically important entity to recognize and treat. Here we report a case of a 43-year-old women followed for ulcerative colitis, presented with epigastric pain and dyspepsia symptoms associeted to steatorrhea and 12 kg weight loss in 2 months. Laboratory tests found fasting plasma glucose at 1.27 g/l. HbA1c was 8%, IgG4 Levels were normal and the fecal elastase level was low. Magnetic resonance imaging of abdomen revealed a swollen pancreas especially in the uncus. The Bilio-pancreatic endoscopic ultrasound showed heterogeneous hypoechoic lesion of the pancreas head. And the biopsy of the pancreas revealed signs compatible with autoimmune pancreatitis type 2. A final diagnosis of ulceratice colitis associated autoimmune pancreatitis type 2 was made and the patient was treated with corticosteroids, with impressive improvement during his follow-up. In the context of inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune pancreatitis is a rare and challenging to identify condition. The creation of clear guidelines and diagnostic standards for autoimmune pancreatitis is anticipated to improve awareness of the condition and result in a rise in the number of confirmed cases during the ensuing years.