[Upper abdominal pain]

We report a female patient in whom the false diagnosis of acute pancreatitis was made, based on intensive epigastric pain and a four fold increase of amylase. The normal values for lipase and decreased values for the urinary amylase were suggestive of a constellation of macroamylasemia. Further investigations revealed a fresh ulcer in the bulbus duodeni as cause of the epigastric pain. With a therapy of cimetidine and antacids painlessness could be achieved within few days.