Acute pancreatitis probably associated with saxagliptin: about a case

Abstract

Acute pancreatitis is a frequent cause of emergency consultation. Its etiology corresponds in 80% to biliary
lithiasis and alcoholism, in third place to hypertriglyceridemia and the rest of the etiologies much less
frequent, punctually pharmacological causes have a low incidence (less than 5%). Pharmacological
pancreatitis is scarcely described, its diagnosis is made by exclusion, ruling out common etiologies, but
suspicion is essential to prevent disease progression, reduce complications, and avoid recurrences. We
present the case of a 68-year-old man with a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, treated with saxagliptin,
who consulted for severe epigastric pain radiating to the back. Computed tomography of the abdomen
showed signs of interstitial edematous acute focal pancreatitis. After ruling out the main causes of acute
pancreatitis, Saxagliptin is suspected as a possible association: dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor,
drugs associated with a small but statistically significant increased risk of acute pancreatitis.