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Recurrent acute pancreatitis as a manifestation of Wegener's granulomatosis

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Summary

We report a case of recurrent acute pancreatitis in a 57-year-old man with reactivation of Wegener's granulomatosis. An association between acute pancreatitis and Wegener's granulomatosis has not been reported previously. Six episodes of abdominal pain and hyperamylasemia occurred and were complicated by development of a pancreatic pseudocyst. New cavitary lung lesions typical of Wegener's granulomatosis led to treatment with increased glucocorticoid dosage, resulting in rapid resolution of the pancreatitis and pulmonary lesions. Acute pancreatitis may be a clinical manifestation of the histologic pancreatic vasculitis observed in Wegener's granulomatosis. Reactivation of Wegener's granulomatosis should be considered when a patient with the disorder develops otherwise unexplained acute pancreatitis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, New England Medical Center, 750 Washington Street, 02111, Boston, MA

    James Alan Kemp MD, Sanjeev Arora MD & Karim Fawaz MD

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  1. James Alan Kemp MD
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  2. Sanjeev Arora MD
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  3. Karim Fawaz MD
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Kemp, J.A., Arora, S. & Fawaz, K. Recurrent acute pancreatitis as a manifestation of Wegener's granulomatosis. Digest Dis Sci 35, 912–915 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01536809

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01536809

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