Acute pancreatitis as the first manifestation of hyperparathyroidism in an otherwise asymptomatic patient.

Acute pancreatitis as a manifestation of hyperparathyroidism (HPT) has been reported in the literature but the concept of causal relationship has been disputed. We report a case of acute pancreatitis where the presence of hypercalcemia led to the diagnosis of primary HPT. No other current risk factors for pancreatitis were identified and no symptoms of HPT were present prior to this episode. We review the literature regarding the role of HPT in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis.