Hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis managed with heparin and insulin: a case report
Abstract
Background Alcohol and gall stones are common causes of pancreatitis. Other causes of pancreatitis include hypertriglyceridemia, trauma, congenital anomalies, and medications. Hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis is distinguished, as it is more severe and complicated. The management of hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis, other than the basic care given to other pancreatitis patients, is to decrease the serum triglyceride level to less than 500 mg/dl as soon as possible. Plasmapheresis, hemofiltration, and other modalities have been proven effective therapies, but, are expensive and not easily accessible. Insulin and heparin which are cheaper alternatives for treatment, have been reported in case reports along with one randomized controlled trial. The number of patients in these reports was small, so, the therapy is not well established. For most African countries like ours, the only option for management is heparin and insulin. Despite this fact, there has not been any publication regarding this issue on our continent. Case report We report the case of a 24 years old Ethiopian male who presented with severe central abdominal pain, easy fatiguability, and vomiting of one-day duration. He was tachycardic and tachypneic with diffuse abdominal tenderness, and had tendon xanthomas. His plasma was lactescent with a serum triglyceride level of 4775 mg/dl. His abdominal CT scan showed diffuse pancreatic swelling with a peripancreatic fluid collection, and his serum lipase was elevated.…
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