Clinical assessment of hyperlipidemic pancreatitis.

Abstract

Acute pancreatitis secondary to hyperlipidemia is characterized by three presentations. All patients present with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting of hours to days duration. The most common presentation is a poorly controlled diabetic with a history of hypertriglyceridemia. The second presentation is the alcoholic found to have hypertriglyceridemia or lactescent serum on admission. The third, about 15-20% of patients, is the nondiabetic, nonalcoholic, nonobese patient with drug- or diet-induced hypertriglyceridemia.