Abstract

MURINELL, A.  and  PINHEIRO, E.. J Port Gastrenterol. [online]. 2006, vol.13, n.2, pp.92-96. ISSN 0872-8178.

The incidence of drug-induced pancreatitis represents 1.4-2% of all cases of acute pancreatitis, and should be considered whenever the usual causes of acute pancreatitis are excluded. The severity of drug-induced pancreatitis is low in the majority of cases. Statin induced pancreatitis has been reported rarely, but as there have been reports of cases of acute pancreatitis caused by most of the statins in medical use, the possibility of a statin class effect being implicated in the physiopathological mechanism seems reasonable. The mechanism is unknown, but the concomitant use of another drug appears to be important in some cases. The authors present a case of a probable/likely acute pancreatitis due to simvastatin, and recommend that in general, all patients with statin induced acute pancreatitis should discontinue the use of statins permanently. A review of the several types of adverse drug reactions is presented, together with comments on the importance of pharmacovigilance and accurate documentation of these reactions, so that injury can be prevented in time. The medical decision to use a particular drug must consider the risks of prescribing the drug against the potential benefits for each individual patients.

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