Garcinia cambogia; a novel cause of pancreatitis? A case report from Sri Lanka

Acute pancreatitis is a systemic inflammatory condition carrying significant morbidity and mortality. Garcinia cambogia (GC) has been recently deduced to be an extremely rare cause for this condition.

A 22-year-old female presented with epigastric pain, nausea and systemic unrest. Her amylase was 458 U/L, had neutrophil leukocytosis and high CRP. CECT abdomen revealed characteristic features of acute pancreatitis. She received in-hospital care for two weeks following which she made a complete recovery. She had consumed large doses of GC as a weight loss supplement for several months preceding. After excluding all other possible causes of pancreatitis, GC was identified as the possible cause.

Acute pancreatitis due to GC is a rare entity with only a handful of cases reported. Large doses of GC are thought to induce oxidative damage in the pancreas causing inflammation. Current evidence for its causal nature is based on history and deduction only. Further research is needed to confirm GC as a cause of pancreatitis.