Acute pancreatitis following Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

Abstract

The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) discovered in China in early December 2019. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority approved the registration of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Saudi Arabia on December 10, 2020, and on May 10, 2021, Pfizer-BioNTech was given emergency authorization for use of the vaccine in children aged 12 to 15 years. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health started the vaccination phase for ages 12 to 18 years for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on June 27, 2021. An insulin-dependent diabetic 15-year-old female patient admitted to the medical ward diagnosed with acute pancreatitis nine days after being administered her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. She presented with an amylase level of 340 U/L, lipase level of 937 U/L. She was discharged after eight days of hospitalization with no complications. Medical investigations were unable to link the diagnosis to any known etiology. Medical journals have reported numerous cases of acute pancreatitis in the adult population after Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination. We believe that our case is the first to present with acute pancreatitis after the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in a teenager population.