A Rare Case of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitor-Induced Acute Pancreatitis

• Published in: Cureus 2023, Vol.15 (11), p.e49369-e49369
• Main Authors: Haddadin, Rakahn, Tonna, Roger F, Iqbal, Humzah, Valenta, Jordan, Iraninezhad, Homayon
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.49369

Acute pancreatitis is an acute inflammatory process of the pancreas that requires hospital admission and treatment. There are many causes of pancreatitis, the most common being gallstone and alcohol-induced; other reasons include metabolic, infectious, and medication-induced. A new medication that has come to the market is empagliflozin, which is a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor that is common in managing type 2 diabetes mellitus and congestive heart failure. Although generally considered safe and effective, rare adverse effects have been reported. In this case, we present a 67-year-old female patient who presented with severe acute pancreatitis after two weeks of starting empagliflozin to treat her type 2 diabetes. This case report highlights the importance of considering rare adverse events associated with empagliflozin and the need for close monitoring of patients receiving this medication.