Causes of Acute Pancreatitis
| Common Causes |
Gallstones (including microlithiasis) Alcohol (acute and chronic alcoholism) Hypertriglyceridemia Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), especially after biliary manometry Drugs (azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, sulfonamides, estrogens, tetracycline, valproic acid, anti-HIV medications, 5-aminosalicylic acid [5-ASA]) Trauma (especially blunt abdominal trauma) Postoperative (abdominal and nonabdominal operations) |
| Uncommon Causes |
Vascular causes and vasculitis (ischemic-hypoperfusion states after cardiac surgery) Connective tissue disorders and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) Cancer of the pancreas Hypercalcemia Periampullary diverticulum Pancreas divisum Hereditary pancreatitis Cystic fibrosis Renal failure Infections (mumps, coxsackievirus, cytomegalovirus, echovirus, parasites) Autoimmune (e.g., type 1 and type 2) |
| Causes to Consider in Pts with Recurrent Bouts of Acute Pancreatitis Without an Obvious Etiology |
Occult disease of the biliary tree or pancreatic ducts, especially microlithiasis, biliary sludge Drugs Alcohol abuse Metabolic: Hypertriglyceridemia, hypercalcemia Anatomic: Pancreas divisum Pancreatic cancer Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) Hereditary pancreatitis Cystic fibrosis Autoimmune Idiopathic |