Case report: acute pancreatitis following corticosteroid and azathioprine therapy

Several drugs have been implicated as causes of acute pancreatitis. This report presents four patients, three with lupus nephritis and one with membranous glomerulopathy, who developed acute pancreatitis while being treated with corticosteroids alone or in combination with azathioprine. Two of the reported patients died with a hemorrhagic pancreatitis and one of the patients developed a pancreatic pseudocyst. The pathogenesis of corticosteroid and/or azathioprine-induced pancreatitis is discussed.