RESEARCH - Azathioprine or mercaptopurine-induced acute pancreatitis is not a disease-specific phenomenon

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Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2010 Jun;31(12):1322-9. Epub 2010 Mar 6.

Azathioprine or mercaptopurine-induced acute pancreatitis is not a

disease-specific phenomenon.

van Geenen EJ, de Boer NK, Stassen P, Linskens RK, Bruno MJ, Mulder

CJ, Stegeman CA, van Bodegraven AA.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, VU University Medical

Centre, Amsterdam.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Several reports suggest an increased rate of adverse

reactions to azathioprine in patients with Crohn's disease.

AIM: To compare the incidence of thiopurine-induced acute pancreatitis

in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with that in

patients with vasculitis.

METHODS: This retrospective analysis was performed using data

collected in three databases by two university hospitals (241 patients

with IBD and 108 patients with vasculitis) and one general district

hospital (72 patients with IBD).

RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of thiopurine-induced acute

pancreatitis in Crohn's disease equalled that of ulcerative colitis

(UC) (2.6% vs. 3.7%) and this did not differ from vasculitis patients

(2.6% vs.1.9%). In addition, the cumulative incidence of

thiopurine-induced acute pancreatitis in UC patients was not different

from that in vasculitis patients. In the IBD group, 100% of

thiopurine-induced acute pancreatitis patients were women, whereas in

the vasculitis group the two observed thiopurine-induced acute

pancreatitis cases (n = 2 of 2) concerned were men (P = 0.012).

CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the alleged higher cumulative incidence of

thiopurine-induced acute pancreatitis in Crohn's disease compared with

vasculitis or UC patients was not confirmed. Female gender appears to

be a risk factor for developing thiopurine-induced acute pancreatitis

in IBD patients.

PMID: 20222913

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20222913

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