Acute Pancreatitis in a Patient Taking Semaglutide

Femina Patel; Arnold Gan; Karen Chang; Kenneth J Vega

doi:10.7759/cureus.43773

Acute Pancreatitis in a Patient Taking Semaglutide

Cureus. 2023 Aug 19;15(8):e43773. doi: 10.7759/cureus.43773. eCollection 2023 Aug.

Authors

Femina Patel¹, Arnold Gan², Karen Chang³, Kenneth J Vega⁴

Affiliations

¹ Internal Medicine, University of California Riverside, Riverside, USA.
² Internal Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.
³ Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California Riverside School of Medicine, San Bernardino, USA.
⁴ Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Augusta University Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, USA.

Abstract

The Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes (SUSTAIN-6) trial showed that semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA), is effective in managing type 2 diabetes by stimulating insulin secretion and promoting weight loss. Though recent evidence suggests no increased risk of acute pancreatitis (AP) with subcutaneous semaglutide use, some studies report an increase in pancreatic inflammation with GLP-1 RAs. We present a case of AP in a patient recently started on subcutaneous semaglutide for type 2 diabetes. As GLP-1 RA use increases, clinicians should be aware of their potential to cause acute pancreatitis.

Keywords: abdominal pain; acute pancreatitis; glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist; post-cholecystectomy; semaglutide.

Publication types

Case Reports