Valproic acid-induced acute pancreatitis

Acute Pancreatitis as a Complication of Antiepileptic Treatment: Case Series and Review of the Literature

“…However, it should be always suspected in patients with epigastric pain and accompanying nausea or vomiting. The diagnosis of acute pancreatitis is based on at least two of the three criteria, which include typical clinical symptoms and abnormalities in laboratory tests and/or imaging studies of pancreas [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 11 ].…”

“…As a result of the imbalance between the inflammatory process and the compensatory anti-inflammatory response, the local inflammation may change into systemic inflammation complicated by organ failure. It occurs less frequently in children than in adults with AP [ 1 , 4 , 5 ].…”

“…It is believed that pancreatitis as a drug-induced acute pancreatic inflammation is thought to account for 0.1%–2% of all AP. The majority of this form of pancreatitis is mild to moderate in severity [ 4 , 5 , 18 ].…”

“…Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an acute inflammation resulting from premature activation of pancreatic proenzymes (mainly trypsin) and is associated with various degrees of damage to the pancreas, adjacent tissues and sometimes distant organs [ 1 , 2 ]. The diagnosis of AP is based on at least two of the following three criteria: typical clinical symptoms, an at least three-fold increase over the upper normal limit of pancreatic enzyme activity in the serum and characteristic results of pancreatic imaging (mainly ultrasound or computer tomography (CT), or, less frequently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. AP is more prevalent in adults (5–60 cases per 100,000 persons per year) than in children (3–13 cases per 100,000 persons per year) [ 6 ].…”

“…In children treated with antiepileptic drugs, the diagnosis of pancreatitis should be taken into consideration in the case of clinical symptoms suggesting AP. The early diagnosis of acute pancreatitis allows for implementing appropriate therapy and monitoring the course of pancreatitis [ 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. After the diagnosis of AP, fluid resuscitation is recommended to correct hypovolemia and to help preserve adequate perfusion in the pancreas.…”