Pancreatitis causes

Question 1

What are the main causes of acute pancreatitis in the UK?

Answer 1

The vast majority of cases are caused by gallstones and alcohol.

Question 2

What is a popular mnemonic for the causes of acute pancreatitis?

Answer 2

GET SMASHED

Question 3

What does the ‘G’ in GET SMASHED stand for?

Answer 3

Gallstones

Question 4

What does the ‘E’ in GET SMASHED stand for?

Answer 4

Ethanol

Question 5

What does the ‘T’ in GET SMASHED stand for?

Answer 5

Trauma

Question 6

What does the ‘S’ in GET SMASHED stand for?

Answer 6

Steroids

Question 7

What does the ‘M’ in GET SMASHED stand for?

Answer 7

Mumps (other viruses include Coxsackie B)

Question 8

What does the ‘A’ in GET SMASHED stand for?

Answer 8

Autoimmune (e.g. polyarteritis nodosa), Ascaris infection

Question 9

What does the ‘S’ in GET SMASHED stand for?

Answer 9

Scorpion venom

Question 10

What does the ‘H’ in GET SMASHED stand for?

Answer 10

Hypertriglyceridaemia, Hyperchylomicronaemia, Hypercalcaemia, Hypothermia

Question 11

What does the ‘E’ in GET SMASHED stand for?

Answer 11

ERCP

Question 12

What does the ‘D’ in GET SMASHED stand for?

Answer 12

Drugs (azathioprine, mesalazine*, didanosine, bendroflumethiazide, furosemide, pentamidine, steroids, sodium valproate)

Question 13

What is the risk of pancreatitis in patients taking mesalazine compared to sulfasalazine?

Answer 13

Pancreatitis is 7 times more common in patients taking mesalazine than sulfasalazine.