Drug-Induced Pancreatitis: A Rare Manifestation of Doxycycline Administration

• Published in: North American journal of medical sciences Vol. 8; no. 2; pp. 117 - 120
• Main Authors: Inayat, Faisal, Virk, Hafeez Ul Hassan, Yoon, Daniel J, Riaz, Iqra
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd 01-02-2016; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd
• Subjects: Care and treatment; Case Report; Dosage and administration; Doxycycline; Pancreatitis; United States; doxycycline; drug-induced pancreatitis (DIP); Acute pancreatitis
• ISSN: 2250-1541; 1947-2714; 1947-2714
• DOI: 10.4103/1947-2714.174348

Drug-induced pancreatitis (DIP) is rare, but as there are no systematic data on it, the true incidence is not known. Although numerous and varied drugs have been associated with DIP, the clinical evidence on doxycycline-induced pancreatitis is sparse.
We present the case of a 58-year-old female who presented with complaints of nausea and severe epigastric pain. Her medications included doxycycline which she had been on for only 2 days. Computed tomography of her abdomen showed mild enlargement of body of the pancreas with peripancreatic fatty infiltration, along with lipase level suggestive of acute pancreatitis. In the absence of classical risk factors for acute pancreatitis, a diagnosis of DIP secondary to doxycycline therapy was made. Immediate withdrawal of the drug was accompanied by relief of symptoms and resolution of pancreatitis.
This report implicates doxycycline as an etiological factor for acute pancreatitis. Knowledge regarding doxycycline related pancreatitis is of paramount importance in order to diagnose cases early and institute effective treatment in patients who are undergoing therapy with this drug.