Acalculous Acute Pancreatitis in a COVID-19 Patient

Eur J Case Rep Intern Med. 2020 May 13;7(6):001710. doi: 10.12890/2020_001710. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a multisystemic condition caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with manifestations ranging from mild upper respiratory symptoms to cytokine storm causing acute respiratory distress syndrome. Pancreatic exocrine tissue and endocrine islets both express angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the proven receptor for SARS-CoV-2 cell internalization. An increase in pancreatic enzymes has been increasingly recognized in patients with COVID-19, but little is known about the real prevalence of acute pancreatitis in this population. We report a case of acute acalculous pancreatitis in a COVID-19 patient.

Learning points: Acute pancreatitis may be a manifestation of SARS-CoV-2 infection.Future studies must address the real impact of pancreatic involvement in COVID-19 patients.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; acute pancreatitis; amylase; lipase.