Case 273

HistoryA 55-year-old man with a history of chronic pancreatitis secondary to chronic alcohol abuse presented to the hospital with acute abdominal pain, generalized weakness, weight loss, and pyrexia. A clinical examination revealed he was tender to touch in the upper abdomen. Laboratory tests revealed a serum alkaline phosphatase level of 370 U/L (6.1 µkat/L) (normal range, 30-130 U/L [0.5-2.2 µkat/L]), a lipase level of 172 U/L (2.9 µkat/L) (normal range, 0-60 U/L [0-1.0 µkat/L]), a C-reactive protein level of 159 mg/L (1514 nmol/L) (normal value,