Case Report

Acute Pancreatitis with Pseudocyst Formation in a Patient with Polyarteritis Nodosa

ERNEST SURESH, WENDY BEADLES, PHILIP WELSBY, and RAASHID LUQMANI

ABSTRACT.

Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a term that includes patients with necrotizing inflammation of medium sized arteries, and excludes those with microscopic vessel involvement. Its manifestations are protean and include constitutional symptoms such as fever, malaise, weight loss, myalgia, peripheral neuropathy, rash, and gut and renal involvement. Although gastrointestinal manifestations have been noted in up to a third of patients with PAN, clinical presentation with pancreatic involvement has been reported only rarely. We describe a patient with PAN who developed acute pancreatitis with pseudocyst formation as well as infarcts in the spleen and liver. (J Rheumatol 2005;32:386-8)

Key Indexing Terms:

ACUTE PANCREATITIS
PANCREATIC PSEUDOCYST
SPLENIC INFARCT
HEPATIC INFARCT
POLYARTERITIS NODOSA

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From the Rheumatic Diseases Unit and Infectious Diseases Unit, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK.

E. Suresh, MD, MRCP (UK), Specialist Registrar in Rheumatology, Rheumatic Diseases Unit; W. Beadles, MRCP (UK), Specialist Registrar in Infectious Diseases; P. Welsby, FRCP (Edin), Consultant in Infectious Diseases, Infectious Diseases Unit; R. Luqmani, DM, FRCP, Consultant Rheumatologist, Rheumatic Diseases Unit.

Address reprint requests to Dr. E. Suresh, Rheumatic Diseases Unit, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK. E-mail: dr_esuresh@hotmail.com

Submitted August 9, 2004; revision accepted September 10, 2004.

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