Chapter 343 Pancreatitis
343.1 Acute Pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis, the most common pancreatic disorder in children, is increasing in incidence. At least 30-50 cases are now seen in major pediatric centers per year. In children, blunt abdominal injuries, multisystem disease, biliary stones or microlithiasis (sludging), and drug toxicity are the most common etiologies. Although many drugs and toxins can induce acute pancreatitis in susceptible persons, in children, valproic acid, L-asparaginase, 6-mercaptopurine, and azathioprine are the most common causes of drug-induced pancreatitis. Other cases follow organ transplantation or are due to infections, metabolic disorders, and mutations in susceptibility genes (Chapter 343.2). Less than 5% of cases are idiopathic (Table 343-1).
Table 343-1 ETIOLOGY OF ACUTE PANCREATITIS IN CHILDREN
DRUGS AND TOXINS
GENETIC
INFECTIOUS
OBSTRUCTIVE
SYSTEMIC DISEASE
TRAUMATIC
