GASTROENTEROLOGY ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
August 13, 2009
Tsuan W, Navaneethan U, Ruiz L, et al. Hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis: Presentation and Management. Am J Gastroenterol 2009;104:984-991
1. Which of the following characteristics would be atypical for hyperlipidemic pancreatitis?
a. History of alcoholism
b. Pregnancy
c. A history of prior episodes of pancreatitis
d. Uncontrolled diabetes
e. Bilirubin of 6.5 mg/dL at presentation
f. Obesity and history of hyperlipidemia
g. Frederickson Type III hyperlipidemia
2. Therapies that could potentially lower triglycerides levels promptly include
a. Apheresis
b. Heparin
c. Insulin
d. Glitazones
e. Fibrates
f. Omega-3 Fatty acids
g. Metformin
True or False
3. Lowering serum triglycerides levels to <500 mg/dL may help expedite clinical improvement
4. Typically, admission triglyceride level is over 1,000 mg/dL in patients with hyperlipidemic pancreatitis, the higher the level, the worse the pancreatitis
5. Amylase is a more sensitive marker of pancreatic injury than lipase in hyperlipidemic pancreatitis
6. A grossly lipemic serum may be a clue to hyperlipidemic
pancreatitis even if the triglyceride level is <1,000 mg/dL