Acute Pancreatitis after Consuming 3.5 Lbs of Cassava

Cassava is a high carbohydrate, low protein food source that has been previously implicated to cause tropical chronic pancreatitis in developing countries Recently it has been disproven as a sole cause of chronic pancreatitis, however, its role as a possible cofactor (due to high levels of cyanogens) contributing to the development of pancreatitis cannot be ruled out. Alcohol is a well-known risk factor of both acute and chronic pancreatitis. However, the relatively small fraction of chronic alcohol users that develop pancreatitis suggest that additional factors, such as hereditary, diet, and other toxins, are necessary in the development of acute and chronic pancreatitis. We present a case of acute pancreatitis that occurred following gorging home-cooked cassava in a patient with a history of chronic alcohol use, but without temporal alcohol consumption. We propose that the gorging of cassava triggered an episode of acute pancreatitis in a sensitized pancreas due to chronic alcohol use.