Drug induced pancreatitis is the leading known cause of first attack acute pancreatitis in children

Background/objectives: Drug induced acute pancreatitis (DIAP) as one of the acute pancreatitis (AP) risks factors is a poorly understood entity. The aim of the current study was to compare the characteristics and course of DIAP cases in children presenting with a first attack of AP.

Methods: Patients presenting with AP were included in a prospective database. We enrolled 165 AP patients that met criteria for inclusion. DIAP patients were included in that group if they were exposed to a drug known to be associated with AP and the rest were included in the non-drug induced-acute pancreatitis (non-DIAP) group.

Results: DIAP was observed in 40/165 (24%) of cases, 24 cases had drug-induced as the sole risk factor, and 16 had DIAP with another risk factor(s). The two groups were similar in intravenous fluid and feeding managements, but ERCP was more commonly performed in the non- DIAP group, 14 (11%), vs 0% in the DIAP group, p = 0.02. Moderately severe [9 (23%) vs 11 (9%)] and severe AP [7 (18%) vs 6 (5%)] were more commonly associated with DIAP than non- DIAP, p = 0.001. DIAP was more commonly associated with ICU stay, 10 (25%), vs 12 (10%), p = 0.01, hospital stay was longer in DIAP median (IQR) of 6 (3.9-11) days vs 3.3 (2-5.7) days in non- DIAP, p = 0.001. The DIAP group had a significantly higher proportion of comorbidities (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: DIAP is a leading risk factor for a first attack of AP in children and is associated with increased morbidity and severity of the pancreatitis course. DIAP warrants further investigation in future studies.