Markedly elevated lipase as the first manifestation of celiac disease: Case Report

Abstract

Lipase is a hydrolytic enzyme and commonly used for the diagnosis of pancreatitis with amylase. Except for pancreatitis, lipase is elevated in many clinical conditions such as hepatobiliary disorders, bowel diseases, malignancies, renal impairment. Celiac disease (CD) should be considered as one of the causes. In patients with CD, the frequency of pancreatic hyperenzymemia and possible pathophysiological mechanisms are not well studied. To date, several mechanisms explaining pancreatic hyperenzymemia in CD are reported. Malnutrition, disease bowel induced pancreatic dysfunction, autoimmune pancreatic inflammation, and macroenzymemia are the main ones. Herein, we report a patient with newly diagnosed CD, representing markedly elevated serum lipase level with normal amylase.