Pancreatitis

Alternative Names

Pancreatitis

What is Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is an inflammation in the pancreas. The pancreas is a long, flat gland that sits tucked behind the stomach in the upper abdomen. The pancreas produces enzymes that help digestion and hormones that help regulate the way your body processes sugar.

Pancreatitis can be acute and chronic. The acute pancreatitis usually appears suddenly, lasts for a short period of time and goes away on its own. The chronic form does not disappear itself and results in a slow destruction of the pancreas.

Signs and symptoms

The signs and symptoms of Acute pancreatitis include:

• Upper abdominal pain
• Abdominal pain that radiates to your back
• Abdominal pain that feels worse after eating
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Tenderness when touching the abdomen

Chronic pancreatitis signs and symptoms are:

• Upper abdominal pain
• Indigestion
• Losing weight without trying
• Oily, smelly stools (steatorrhea)

Possible complications

Pancreatitis can cause such serious complications as:

• Breathing problems. Acute pancreatitis can cause chemical changes in your body that affect your lung function, causing the level of oxygen in your blood to fall to dangerously low levels.
• Diabetes. Damage to insulin-producing cells in your pancreas from chronic pancreatitis can lead to diabetes, a disease that affects the way your body uses blood sugar.
• Infection. Acute pancreatitis can make your pancreas vulnerable to bacteria and infection. Pancreatic infections are serious and require intensive treatment, such as surgery to remove the infected tissue.
• Kidney failure. Acute pancreatitis may cause kidney failure, which can be treated with dialysis if the kidney failure is severe and persistent.
• Malnutrition. Both acute and chronic pancreatitis can cause your pancreas to produce fewer of the enzymes that are needed to break down and process nutrients from the food you eat. This can lead to malnutrition, diarrhea and weight loss, even though you may be eating the same foods or the same amount of food.
• Pancreatic cancer. Long-standing inflammation in your pancreas caused by chronic pancreatitis is a risk factor for developing pancreatic cancer.
• Pseudocyst. Acute pancreatitis can cause fluid and debris to collect in cyst-like pockets in your pancreas. A large pseudocyst that ruptures can cause complications such as internal bleeding and infection.

What causes

In most cases, the causes of acute pancreatitis are gallstones and alcohol use. It can also be caused by medications, lipid (triglyceride) disorders, infections, surgery or trauma to the abdomen. In about 10-15% of people with pancreatitis, the cause is unknown.

In some people with chronic pancreatitis, the condition is caused by prolonged alcohol use, resulting in pancreatic damage and scarring. In other cases of chronic pancreatitis, the cause may be hereditary, gallstones, lupus or high triglycerides. In about a quarter of people, the cause of chronic pancreatitis is unknown.

Prevention

There is no prevention for pancreatitis. But you should reduce the doses of alcohol as alcohol abuse is the most common cause of this condition.

Treatment

You may take pain medicines to control pain. Sometimes, insulin or other drugs are used to control blood glucose.

If acute pancreatitis is caused by a gallstone, surgery may be necessary to remove the gallstone and gallbladder (cholecystectomy). A gallstone may also be removed through a procedure called an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

If pancreatic pseudocysts appear and are considered large enough to interfere with the healing of the pancreas, the doctor may drain or surgically remove them.

When treating chronic pancreatitis, surgery is needed to relieve pain. The surgery may involve draining an enlarged pancreatic duct or removing part of the pancreas.