Drug induced pancreatitis secondary to orlistat: a case report and literature review

Background: Two percent of all pancreatitis is accounted by Drug induced pancreatitis. It is a diagnosis of exclusion, a patient can be diagnosed with Drug induced pancreatitis only after alcohol use, and cholelithiasis are excluded. The diagnosis can be made by establishing a temporal link between the drugs and the development of pancreatitis in the patient who does not have any other factors that can contribute to the development of pancreatitis. Case report: Here we present a case of 18 years old female who presented to the emergency room with acute onset severe pain abdomen 7 days after being started on Tablet Orlistat for the treatment of obesity. The patient does not give any history of alcohol consumption habits. Diagnosis of pancreatitis was established by elevated levels of amylase and lipase and CT abdomen showed a bulky pancreas with peri pancreatic fluid with no evidence of gallbladder and hepatobiliary abnormality. Conclusion: Tablet Orlistat is being extensively used for the treatment of obesity. Few studies have shown that Orlistat can trigger Drug induced pancreatitis in certain patients, so it should be prescribed cautiously, especially in patients at high risk of pancreatic injury.