Key result
A 46-year-old man initially presenting with suspected diabetic ketoacidosis was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis secondary to hypertriglyceridaemia, highlighting the need for high clinical suspicion.
Case Report (n=1)
Highlights the need for high clinical suspicion to diagnose hypertriglyceridaemia-induced acute pancreatitis, particularly when presenting atypically such as with suspected DKA.
Case of hypertriglyceridaemia pancreatitis mimicking DKA supports heightened suspicion in atypical presentations; leaves open systematic study of diagnostic strategies.
Hypertriglyceridaemia is the third most common cause of acute pancreatitis but is relatively rare and therefore requires a high level of clinical suspicion to be diagnosed. We discuss the case of a 46-year-old man who initially presented to the accident and emergency department with suspected first presentation of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and a normal amylase but who did not respond to DKA treatment. Further history revealed significant cardiovascular risk factors, examination showed an evidence of hyperlipidaemia and investigations revealed acute pancreatitis secondary to hypertriglyceridaemia. We discuss the causes of hypertriglyceridaemia, the difficulty in differentiating primary versus secondary hypertriglyceridaemia, possible pathogenesis and current evidence-based treatments.
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Weston et al. (2013) conducted a case report in Hypertriglyceridaemia-induced acute pancreatitis (n=1). Hypertriglyceridaemia was evaluated. A 46-year-old man initially presenting with suspected diabetic ketoacidosis was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis secondary to hypertriglyceridaemia, highlighting the need for high clinical suspicion.
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