Management of hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis – A review of updates from the past decade

Abstract

Hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute-pancreatitis (HTG-AP) is an important etiology of acute pancreatitis (AP). The treatment includes general management of AP with bowel rest, analgesia, and venous thromboembolism prophylaxis. Specific treatment of HTG-AP focuses on reducing serum triglyceride (TG) levels. Various modalities have been used, including heparin infusion, insulin infusion, plasmapheresis, and double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP). However, the extent to which TG reduction translates into a clinical response remains unclear. This review highlights the emerging evidence on the management of HTG-AP. Insulin therapy and plasmapheresis remain treatment options to reduce TG. DFPP is an emerging treatment modality to reduce TG levels in patients with AP. However, to what extent this translates into a better clinical response is yet to be answered in large and prospective study designs.