An Unusual Cause of Pancreatitis: Eclampsia

Pancreatitis in pregnancy is not a common entity and has only been described with dysfunction of the biliary tract. Pregnancy in itself has not been described as a cause of pancreatitis, as is evidenced by the normal serum amylase and lipase values during the course of normal gestational periods. Pregnancy is known to be associated with hepatic dysfunction in the second or third trimesters, which can sometimes involve the pancreas but has not been documented to cause isolated involvement of the pancreas. This gives us reason to believe that pregnancy-induced hypertension complicated with eclampsia is a rare but sinister and important differential in the peripartum period. Here is a case of a 25-year-old primigravida who presented to the hospital with eclampsia and developed pancreatitis on her second postoperative day in the hospital with no antecedent history of biliary disease, dyslipidemia, or alcohol consumption.