Drug-Induced Acute Pancreatitis in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
Daniel Paramythiotis,
Eleni Karlafti,
Kalliopi Veroplidou,
Maria Fafouti,
Georgia Kaiafa,
Smaro Netta,
Antonios Michalopoulos,
Christos Savopoulos
Affiliations
Daniel Paramythiotis
First Propaedeutic Department of Surgery, AHEPA University General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Eleni Karlafti
Emergency Department, AHEPA University General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Kalliopi Veroplidou
First Propaedeutic Department of Surgery, AHEPA University General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Maria Fafouti
First Propaedeutic Department of Surgery, AHEPA University General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Georgia Kaiafa
First Propaedeutic Department of Internal Medicine, AHEPA University General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Smaro Netta
First Propaedeutic Department of Surgery, AHEPA University General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Antonios Michalopoulos
First Propaedeutic Department of Surgery, AHEPA University General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Christos Savopoulos
First Propaedeutic Department of Internal Medicine, AHEPA University General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, is a systemic disease that affects not only the respiratory system, but also other systems, including gastrointestinal. A great number of different drugs have been used on hospitalized patients for the management of COVID-19, and acute pancreatitis (AP) has been reported as a complication or side effect of these drugs. The development of drug-induced acute pancreatitis (DIAP) follows a complex of pathophysiological mechanisms, and particular risk factors play a key role. Diagnosis of DIAP depends on specific criteria, and based on these, a drug may be characterized as having a definite, probable or possible connection with AP. The aim of this review is to present the medications that are used for COVID-19 management and are associated with AP in hospitalized patients. The list of these drugs mainly includes corticosteroids, glucocorticoids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antiviral agents, antibiotics, monoclonal antibodies, estrogens and anesthetic agents. Moreover, the prevention of the development of DIAP is vital, especially for critically ill patients who may receive multiple drugs. DIAP management is mainly non-invasive and the first step concerns the exception of the suspicious drug from patients therapy.
