Organophosphorus poisoning causing haemorrhagic pancreatitis – a case series

Organophosphorus, an insecticide used in agricultural and industrial settings, is the most common cause of poisoning in India. Organophosphorus is a nerve poison that causes irreversible inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, which leads to the accumulation of acetylcholine, resulting in excessive cholinergic stimulation of several organ systems. Several complications have been reported, but pancreatitis is quite rare and mainly due to ductal hypertension and injury to parenchyma, consequent to cholinergic hyperactivity in the pancreas. We present a case series of four cases where organophosphorus poisoning was suspected. Autopsy revealed that, in all four cases, the stomach walls were congested, pancreas showed gross haemorrhage over the surface and on cut sections, with other visceral organs showing generalised congestion. Later, after visceral and histopathological examination, all cases were confirmed as organophosphorus (dichlorvos) poisoning with haemorrhagic pancreatitis. Acute pancreatitis in organophosphorus poisoning usually has a subclinical course and gets masked by the systemic effects. Haemorrhagic pancreatitis sequela of acute pancreatitis is a rare and fatal complication of organophosphorus poisoning.