Travis Barker's pancreatitis reportedly 'triggered' by colonoscopy - but doctors say it's 'extremely rare'

Travis Barker's pancreatitis reportedly 'triggered' by colonoscopy - but doctors say it's 'extremely rare'

Travis Barker, the 46-year-old drummer for Blink-182, was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning, reportedly for pancreatitis that may have been "triggered" by a recent colonoscopy, according to TMZ.

Pancreatitis is the clinical term for inflammation of the pancreas, a gland in the abdomen that helps with digestion and blood sugar regulation. In acute pancreatitis, the inflammation can cause severe symptoms such as fever, nausea or vomiting, and abdominal pain. Research estimates that there are over 270,000 hospitalizations for acute pancreatitis each year, with over 80% of cases being mild.

While acute pancreatitis is typically caused by gallstones (hardened deposits in the gallbladder), in very rare cases it can even result from a routine colonoscopy. However, experts emphasize that in Barker's case it is far too early to directly link the screening procedure to his reported pancreatitis.

“I think more facts need to be known about the situation before commenting [that] the colonoscopy caused it,” said Suneal Agarwal, MD, associate professor of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Baylor College of MedicineThe health. "It's extremely rare. I can't emphasize enough the fact that it's very, very rare to get pancreatitis after a colonoscopy."

While the details of Barker's condition are not yet publicly known, here's what we know about the unusual connection between pancreatitis and colonoscopy — and why the benefits of screening still far outweigh any potential complications.

What is a colonoscopy? From preparation to recovery, everything you need to know about the procedure

Can you get pancreatitis from a colonoscopy?

A colonoscopy is a procedure in which a doctor examines your rectum and colon through a colonoscope - a flexible tube with a light and a camera at the end. The purpose of the procedure is to look for abnormalities in the lower gastrointestinal tract, such as: B. inflamed tissue, ulcers, polyps or cancer.

Colonoscopy is considered a safe standard procedure. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), only about four to eight serious complications occur for every 10,000 procedures.

The most common complications after a colonoscopy include bleeding and perforation (a hole in the wall) of the colon, typically in patients who need to have a polyp removed for observation. Doctors can treat bleeding immediately – or as soon as it occurs – and perforations can be treated with additional surgery. Other complications include side effects of the sedatives used, severe abdominal pain or (in extremely rare cases) death.

“These risks are much more common than pancreatitis,” said Dr. Agarwal, who added that pancreatitis after colonoscopy has been reported but is very rare.

“Hundreds of thousands of colonoscopies are performed every year,” said Dr. Agarwal. “And in terms of the rate of pancreatitis, it has been associated with colonoscopy at the case report level, meaning fewer than 10 per se have been reported in the medical literature.”

One of these case reports was published in 2009Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology. In this report, the authors describe the story of a 60-year-old woman who underwent gastroscopy (an examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract) and colonoscopy to evaluate a case of iron deficiency anemia. Doctors said the colonoscopy was "technically difficult," meaning they had difficulty maneuvering the endoscope inside her colon. “Almost immediately” after the procedure, she experienced cramps and abdominal pain, followed by nausea and constipation.

The patient was ultimately diagnosed with pancreatitis, likely caused by trauma to the pancreas during the colonoscopy, the authors wrote.

Although the connection between pancreatitis and colonoscopy is largely unknown, Dr. Agarwal added that trauma – as in the previous case report – could be an explanation. “The colon is next to the pancreas, just like everything else in your stomach,” he said. "And if there's some kind of trauma... that it's irritating the pancreas through the colon... that can be a mechanism."

But there are a lot of moving parts to a colonoscopy, which means there are many possible causes. "The drugs given to sedate a patient for a colonoscopy - that has also been linked to the development of pancreatitis," said Dr. Agarwal. "So there is no definitive medical reason why a colonoscopy would cause pancreatitis, there are only presumptive reasons, and [another] is a medication."

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Other causes of pancreatitis - and how the disease is treated

There are a few different factors that can cause pancreatitis - mainly gallstones (usually acute pancreatitis) and heavy alcohol consumption (usually chronic pancreatitis). “These two things account for over 80% to 90% of the causes of pancreatitis in the country,” said Dr. Agarwal. "And there are hundreds of thousands of pancreatitis [cases] that happen in the country...regardless of the colonoscopy."

Other less common causes of pancreatitis, according to the NIDDK, include viral or parasitic infections, abdominal trauma, pancreatic cancer, pancreas divisum (a birth defect in the pancreas), or a diagnostic procedure called endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

Treatment options for acute pancreatitis depend on the severity of the disease. Milr cases of acute pancreatitis usually resolve with rest and treatment with painkillers and antibiotics. A low-fat diet may also be part of the treatment plan, as may a feeding tube if the patient cannot eat. In more severe cases, surgery or other procedures – including ERCP again – may be required.

Here's how to make your colonoscopy prep a little easier

Colonoscopies are still necessary for cancer prevention

“Colonoscopy has consistently been shown to be effective in preventing colon cancer [and] removing polyps that could turn into cancer,” said Dr. Agarwal. “That’s why colonoscopy is a very important exam and is considered part of the health care routine that most Americans should undergo.”

Both the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the American Cancer Society recommend that adults at average risk begin regular screening for colon cancer at age 45, through a colonoscopy or stool-based test (colonoscopies are considered the gold standard for cancer detection), then every five to 10 years thereafter, depending on personal situation and findings. In 2018, about 60% of Americans ages 50 to 70 met these colonoscopy recommendations.

People who are at higher risk of developing colon cancer—such as those with a family history of the disease or those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or certain genetic syndromes—may need to be tested earlier than age 45 and more frequently than people with an average risk.

The CDC estimates that nearly half a million Americans were diagnosed with colorectal cancer from 2014 to early 2019, and the disease is now the second leading cause of cancer death in men and women combined.

Overall, colonoscopies are essential, life-saving procedures, and experts stress that Barker's experience - if the reports are accurate and his pancreatitis was indeed caused by a colonoscopy - should not deter anyone from cancer screening.

“Colonoscopy is a very important procedure that can save lives and prevent colon cancer,” said Dr. Agarwal. "So it's unfortunate that Travis Barker [may have] if that had happened to him, but it shouldn't stop people from undergoing these types of procedures."