A Case of Pancreatitis associated with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

ABSTRACT

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease with multisystemic involvement, has been reported to be associated with a number of gastrointestinal complications. But pancreatitis is an unusual complication of SLE, occuring in only 3-4% of lupus cohort. Multiple mechanisms contributing to pancreatitis associated with SLE have been demonstrated which include vasculitis, necrotizing pancreatitis, corticosteroid administration, and vascular thrombosis. We experienced a case of pancreatitis associated with SLE in a 14-year-old girl. The cause of pancreatitis may be related secondarily to vascular thrombosis, since there were several clinical and laboratory findings suggesting thromboembolic phenomena, including false-positive test for syphilis, prologation of PT/aPTT, and pulmonary embolism.