Acute pancreatitis as an atypical manifestation of COVID-19: A report of 2 cases

Acute pancreatitis following COVID-19 vaccine: A case report and brief literature review

Vaccination is the most effective way to overcome COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. However, Covid-19 vaccines may cause potential adverse effects. We reported a 28-year-old healthy woman who was referred to the emergency department with a chief complaint of severe abdominal pain, nausea and hemoptysis. She has received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine (Sinopharm BIBP). Similar this time, three days after the injection of the second dose of the Sinopharm BIBP COVID-19 vaccine, abdominal and flank pain appeared, for which she has referred to the emergency department. After necessary tests and pancreatitis was confirmed, we started fluid therapy, plasmapheresis, gemfibrozil and insulin for patient management. The COVID-19 vaccines may lead to acute pancreatitis. The mechanism of pancreatitis caused by COVID-19 vaccines is unclear. Acute pancreatitis can develop after COVID-19 vaccination. This process can even happen a few months later. Therefore, to better diagnosis and prevention of long-term complications, it is necessary to measuring the lipase or amylase in patients that received COVID-19 vaccine if abdominal pain was occurred.

Acute Pancreatitis Related to COVID-19 Infection: A Systematic Review and Analysis of Data

There is increasing literature mentioning severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (COVID-19 infection) causing acute pancreatitis (AP). It is hypothesized that SARS-Cov-2 causes pancreatic injury either by direct cytotoxic effect of the virus on pancreatic cells through the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors - the main receptors for the virus located on pancreatic cells - or by the cytokine storm that results from COVID-19 infection or a component of both. Many viruses are related to AP including mumps, coxsackievirus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and as data evolves SARS-CoV-2 virus may be one of them as well. We conducted a systematic literature review to explore the current literature and provide an overview of the evidence of AP in COVID-19 infection. We studied the presence of AP in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and calculated the time of diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection with respect to the time of diagnosis of AP. We also studied the age, gender, clinical manifestations, time of onset of symptoms, laboratory values, imaging findings, mortality, length of stay, comorbidities, need for Intensive Care Unit (ICU) care, and excluded any other common causes of AP. We included 40 articles comprising 46 patients. All patients had a positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and all patients had AP as per Atlanta’s criteria. The most common clinical presentation was abdominal pain in 29 (63.0%). Edematous pancreas was the most common Computed Tomography Abdomen Pelvis (CTAP) scan finding in these patients (35 patients). Seventeen (37%) patients required ICU admission and six (13%) patients died. Our study provides an important overview of the available data on AP in COVID-19 patients and concludes that AP is an important complication in COVID-19 infection and should be considered as an important differential in patients with COVID-19 infection who complain of abdominal pain.

Review on acute pancreatitis attributed to COVID-19 infection

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is known to cause gastrointestinal symptoms. Recent studies have revealed COVID-19-attributed acute pancreatitis (AP). However, clinical characteristics of COVID-19-attributed AP remain unclear. We performed a narrative review to elucidate relation between COVID-19 and AP using the PubMed database. Some basic and pathological reports revealed expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and transmembrane protease serine 2, key proteins that aid in the entry of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) into the pancreas. The experimental and pathological evaluation suggested that SARS-CoV-2 infects human endocrine and exocrine pancreas cells, and thus, SARS-CoV-2 may have a direct involvement in pancreatic disorders. Additionally, systemic inflammation, especially in children, may cause AP. Levels of immune mediators associated with AP, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-10, interferon-γ, monocyte chemotactic protein 1, and tumor necrosis factor-α are higher in the plasma of patients with COVID-19, that suggests an indirect involvement of the pancreas. In real-world settings, some clinical features of AP complicate COVID-19, such as a high complication rate of pancreatic necrosis, severe AP, and high mortality. However, clinical features of COVID-19-attributed AP remain uncertain due to insufficient research on etiologies of AP. Therefore, high-quality clinical studies and case reports that specify methods for differential diagnoses of other etiologies of AP are needed.

COVID-19 Induced Acute Pancreatitis in a Malagasy Woman Patient: Case Report and Literature Review

Background

Case Presentation

Conclusion