%0 Journal Article
%T Acute pancreatitis with saw palmetto use: a case report
%A Jackrapong Bruminhent
%A Perliveh Carrera
%A Zhongzhen Li
%A Raymond Amankona
%A Ingram M Roberts
%J Journal of Medical Case Reports
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1752-1947-5-414
%X A 61-year-old Caucasian man with a history of benign prostatic hyperplasia and gastroesophageal reflux disease developed epigastric pain associated with nausea 36 hours prior to presentation. He denied drinking alcohol prior to the development of his symptoms. His home medications included saw palmetto, lansoprazole and multivitamins. Laboratory results revealed elevated lipase and amylase levels. An abdominal ultrasound demonstrated a nondilated common bile duct, without choledocholithiasis. Computed tomography of his abdomen showed the pancreatic tail with peripancreatic inflammatory changes, consistent with acute pancreatitis. Our patient's condition improved with intravenous fluids and pain management. On the fourth day of hospitalization his pancreatic enzymes were within normal limits: he was discharged home and advised to avoid taking saw palmetto.It is our opinion that a relationship between saw palmetto and the onset of acute pancreatitis is plausible, and prescribers and users of saw palmetto should be alert to the possibility of such adverse reactions.Serenoa repens (W. Bartram) Small, more commonly known as saw palmetto or scrub palmetto, is a low-growing palm endemic to the Southeastern United States [1]. Ecologically, saw palmetto is used for nesting, protective cover and as a food source by wildlife. The medicinal value of the fruit among humans has been described in scientific literature since the 1800s for the relief of prostate gland swelling [2].The liposterolic extract of saw palmetto has antiandrogenic activity in human prostatic cell lines [3]. Furthermore, it inhibits binding of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to its receptor [4] and prevents the conversion of testosterone into DHT by inhibiting the activity of 5-alpha-reductase [5], exhibiting a similar mechanism to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) -approved medication finasteride. In vitro studies have shown that it also inhibits cyclooxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase pathways, thereby preventing
%U http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/content/5/1/414