[Hyperamylasemia, hyperlipasemia and acute pancreatitis in chronic inflammatory bowel diseases]

Abstract

145 clinical observations of 114 patients with Crohn's disease and 65 observations of 47 patients with ulcerative colitis were analyzed prospectively concerning the prevalence of pathologically elevated levels of serumamylase or -lipase and acute pancreatitis. Painless hyperamylasemia or hyperlipasemia were found in 18 of 114 patients with Crohn's disease (15.8%) and in 10 of 47 patients with ulcerative colitis (21.3%) without morphological abnormalities on ultrasound. Range of elevated serumamylase levels differs from 35 to 68 U/L (Ref.-value less than 34 U/L), range of serumlipase levels varies from 199 to 858 U/L (Ref.-value less than 190 U/L). Pathologically elevated levels of serumamylase and -lipase persisted for 17.7 +/- 9.0 (5-28) days in Crohn's disease and 22.8 +/- 9.8 (7-33) days in ulcerative colitis. No relation to the activity or the duration of the disease, drug treatment or the weight loss of the patients could be shown. Acute pancreatitis was found in 4 of 114 patients (3.5%) with Crohn's disease, whereas in ulcerative colitis acute pancreatitis was diagnosed in 1 of 47 patients (2.1%). Regarding the promoting factors, drugs (azathioprine and salazosulfapyridine) and mechanical alterations of the bile duct (primary sclerosing cholangitis) or the pancreas (pancreas divisum) were found in 4 of the 5 patients. However the case of a 23 year old woman suffering from Crohn's ileocolitis who died of an idiopathic pancreatitis remains obscure.