Introduction

Hypertriglyceridemia is a common metabolic disorder encountered in clinical practice, characterized by elevated serum triglyceride (TG) levels. The widely accepted normal range of fasting triglyceride is less than 150 mg/dl. (1) (2) When TG levels rise beyond 1000 mg/dL, the risk of acute pancreatitis increases markedly, making hypertriglyceridemia the third most common cause of acute pancreatitis(1) The complete understanding of how increased triglyceride levels result in acute pancreatitis remains unclear.
It has been hypothesized that the elevated levels of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins interacting with pancreatic lipase in the pancreatic capillaries cause the breakdown of triglycerides into free fatty acids and phospholipids to lysophosphatidylcholine. (3)Additionally, the hydrolysis of triglycerides by lipase induces the generation of toxic levels of free fatty acids and glycerol, thereby damaging the acini and capillaries precipitating edema and hemorrhage.(4) Acute pancreatitis is one of the leading causes of hospitalization among gastrointestinal diseases. Although its diagnosis is simple, the major challenge lies in predicting its progression and outcome. (5)
The clinical diagnosis relies on a combination of history taking, physical examination, and laboratory investigation. Abdominal pain radiating to the back, as well as high serum and urine levels of amylase, point toward acute pancreatitis. (6) The annual incidence of acute pancreatitis varies from 15.9 to 36.4 per 100,000 individuals, with its burden on healthcare resource utilization expected to rise shortly. Despite advancements in healthcare access, imaging tools, and treatments, acute pancreatitis continues to have significant morbidity and mortality. The overall mortality rate varies from 5% to 17% in severe cases and is about 1.5% in mild cases.(7) Herein, we report a rare case of a 26-year-old, para-2, living-2 (P2L2) female with acute pancreatitis caused by moderate triglyceridemia with a triglyceride level of 579 mg/dl.