Abstract
We have experienced some patients with diabetic ketoacidosis complicated with acute pancreatitis, who had elevated serum levels of amylase, lipase and elastase-1. In case 1, a 46 year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of diabeticketoacidosis. Laboratory findings revealed a blood glucose level of 763 mg/dl and a pH level of 6.93. In case 2, a 43 year-old man was adamitted becauseof diabetic ketocidosis, and laboratory findings revealed a blood glucose level of 1573 and pH levels of 7.19. During the treatment of diabetic ketoacidodis, themaximum serum levels of amylase and lipase were 762u/l and 520u/l respectively in case 1, and the maximum serum levels of amylase, elastase-1 and pancreatic phospholipase-A2 were 2107u/l, 8310ng/dl and 34300ng/dl respectively in case 2. We measured the serum cytokine levels of IL-6, IL-1βand GM-CSF in these two cases by ELISA. Only IL-6 was detected in the serum of the two patients with diabetic ketoacidosis complicated with acute pancreatitis. The maximum serum level of IL-6 was 380pg/ml in case 1 and 80pg/ml in case 2. In the other two cases of diabetic ketoacidosis which was not complicated with acute pancreatitis, the serum levels of IL-6 were at the lower levels of 14 pg/ml and 11pg/ml.
Serum IL-6 in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis may induce acute pancreatitis. According to our knowledge, this is the first report of detection of IL-6 in the serum of patients with diabetic ketoacidosis complicated with acute pancreatitis.
