Acute Pancreatitis: Causes

Key points

• Vast majority of UK cases: gallstones and alcohol.
• Mnemonic GET SMASHED: Gallstones · Ethanol · Trauma · Steroids · Mumps (Coxsackie B) · Autoimmune (PAN)/Ascaris · Scorpion venom · Hypertriglyceridaemia/Hypercalcaemia/Hypothermia · ERCP · Drugs.
• Drugs: azathioprine, mesalazine, didanosine, bendroflumethiazide, furosemide, pentamidine, steroids, sodium valproate.
• Pancreatitis is 7× more common with mesalazine than sulfasalazine.