The authors say that their research, reported here briefly in the form of a research letter, indicate that acute pancreatitis could be an adverse effect of amiodarone use. Considering an incidence of acute pancreatitis of 3 to 4 cases per 10,000 adults per year, the observed association would result in approximately 1 to 2 additional cases of acute pancreatitis per 10,000 amiodarone users per year.
The study does however have a number of limitations, mainly due to its use of healthcare utilisation data, which needs to be considered when interpreting the results. Further research is needed to replicate these findings and determine potential mechanisms.