Soonchunhyang Med Sci.  2014 Dec;20(2):120-122. 10.0000/sms.2014.20.2.120.

Hypertriglyceridemia-Induced Pancreatitis in Poorly Controlled Type 2 Diabetes

• Jo HH
• Kim KJ
• Kim BY
• Jung CH
• Kim CH
• Kang SK
• Mok JO

• KMID: 2317737
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.0000/sms.2014.20.2.120

Abstract

A 38-year-old female presented with abdominal pain, radiating to her back. Her medical history included type 2 diabetes, which had been uncontrolled for 8 months. Her initial laboratory tests showed marked hyperglycemia, metabolic acidosis, and elevated serum amylase and lipase levels, although the results were inconclusive in terms of a direct diagnosis of acute pancreatitis (AP). Abdominal computed tomography showed only minimal fluid collection at the pancreas tail. As her serum triglyceride (TG) level was 9,884 mg/dL, we made a working diagnosis of AP due to hypertriglyceridemia, and she was treated with massive hydration with an insulin infusion. Subsequently, she recovered rapidly from the abdominal pain, her serum glucose was controlled, and her serum TG decreased. Hypertriglyceridemia is a well-accepted underlying cause of AP. When extremely high hypertriglyceridemia is detected in patients with type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome, complications should be considered and managed.

Keyword

Pancreatitis; Hypertriglyceridemia; Diabetes mellitus, type 2

MeSH Terms

Abdominal Pain
Acidosis
Adult
Amylases
Blood Glucose
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
Diagnosis
Female
Humans
Hyperglycemia
Hypertriglyceridemia
Insulin
Lipase
Pancreas
Pancreatitis*
Triglycerides
Amylases
Insulin
Lipase