Background
gall stones, congenital anomalies, hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis, pancreatitis, Hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis, trauma
HYPERTRIGLYCERIDEMIA, PANCREATITIS
Alcohol and gall stones are common causes of pancreatitis. Other causes of pancreatitis include hypertriglyceridemia, trauma, congenital anomalies, and medications. Hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis is distinguished, as it is more severe and complicated. The management of hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis, other than the basic care given to other pancreatitis patients, is to decrease the serum triglyceride level to less than 500 mg/dl as soon as possible. Plasmapheresis, hemofiltration, and other modalities have been proven effective therapies, but, are expensive and not easily accessible. Insulin and heparin which are cheaper alternatives for treatment, have been reported in case reports along with one randomized controlled trial. The number of patients in these reports was small, so, the therapy is not well established. For most African countries like ours, the only option for management is heparin and insulin. Despite this fact, there has not been any publication regarding this issue on our continent.