Pancreatitis in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Frequency and Associated Factors - A Review of the Hopkins Lupus Cohort

Objective. Pancreatitis is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Vasculitis of the gastrointestinal tract is the most commonly proposed mechanism. We determined the frequency of SLE-related pancreatitis in the Hopkins Lupus Cohort. Methods. A large prospective cohort of 1811 patients with SLE was reviewed and clinical and laboratory measures of SLE patients who developed pancreatitis were compared to patients who did not develop pancreatitis. Results. Four percent of patients with SLE had pancreatitis due to SLE. The best multivariate model of clinical and laboratory associations included hypertriglyceridemia,psychosis, pleurisy. gastritis. and anemia. Conclusion. Hypertriglyceridemia appears to be a strong associate of pancreatitis in SLE, but antiphospholipid antibodies are not. SLE patients with psychosis and pleurisy are at increased risk for pancreatitis. (First Release Dec 23 2009: J Rheumatol 2010:37:341-5: doi: 10.3899/jrheum.090829)