Autoimmune pancreatitis with pancytopenia: A rare occurrence

• Published in: Sahel Medical Journal
• Main Authors: Arulprakash Sarangapani, Subash Chandra Samal, Manoj Kumar Sahu, George M Chandy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2016-01-01
• Subjects: Autoimmune pancreatitis; IgG4 disese; pancytopenia
• Online Access: http://www.smjonline.org/article.asp?issn=1118-8561;year=2016;volume=19;issue=2;spage=101;epage=103;aulast=Sarangapani

Autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is considered a distinct type of pancreatitis with an autoimmune pathogenesis. Patients with AIP often develop extrapancreatic lesions such as biliary lesions, sialadenitis, retroperitoneal fibrosis, swelling of lymph nodes, chronic thyroiditis, and interstitial nephritis, suggesting that AIP may be a systemic disease. Moreover, several cases of immune thrombocytopenia and few with neutropenia complicated with AIP have been described. The pathogenesis of thrombocytopenia associated with AIP is still unclear; however, autoimmune processes are suggested. On the other hand, cases of pancytopenia complicated by AIP have not yet been reported. We herein report a very rare case of pancytopenia associated with AIP.