Acute pancreatitis

Introduction

Acute pancreatitis is a serious condition where the pancreas becomes inflamed over a short period of time. The pancreas is a small organ located behind the stomach and below the ribcage.

Most people with acute pancreatitis improve within a week and experience no further problems, but severe cases can have serious complications and can even be fatal.

Acute pancreatitis is different to Pancreatitis, chronic , where the inflammation of the pancreas persists for many years.

The most common symptoms of acute pancreatitis include:

suddenly getting severe pain in the centre of your abdomen (tummy)
feeling or being sick
diarrhoea

If this isn't possible, contact NHS111 or your local out-of-hours service for advice.

Why it happens

It's thought that acute pancreatitis occurs when a problem develops with some of the enzymes (chemicals) in the pancreas, which causes them to try to digest the organ.

Acutepancreatitisis most often linked to:

gallstones which accounts for around half of all cases
alcohol consumption which accounts for about a quarter of all cases

By reducing your alcohol intake and altering your diet to make gallstones less likely, you canhelp to reduce your chances of developing acute pancreatitis.

However, one in five cases are severe andcan result in life-threatening complications, such asmultiple organ failure.

In severe cases where complications develop, there's a high risk of the condition being fatal. In England, just over 1,000 people die from acute pancreatitis every year.

If a person survives the effects of severe acute pancreatitis, it's likely to be several weeks or months before they're well enough to leave hospital.

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 28 Nov 2016

Articles for acute pancreatitis

Introduction

Acute pancreatitis is a serious condition where the pancreas becomes inflamed over a short period of time. Acute pancreatitis is a condition which occurs when the pancreas gland becomes inflamed.

Symptoms of acute pancreatitis

The main symptom of acute pancreatitis is a severe, dull pain around the top of your stomach that develops suddenly.Pain is the main symptom which begins in the stomak and spreads like a band across the abdomen, sometimes extending to the shoulder. This type of pain may begin after consuming a particularly large meal, heavy in fats, or 6-12 hours after consuming alcohol. Other symptoms which may accompany the disease are nausea or vomiting, icterus (jaundice, a yellow coloration of the eyeball, or in more severe cases, of the skin), perspiration and stomach bloating. If you are experiencing the above, you must go to a hospital immediately.

Causes of acute pancreatitis

Most cases of acute pancreatitis are closely linked to gallstones and alcohol consumption, although the exact cause is not always clear.Acute pancreatitis is mainly caused by the following:1. The presence of gallbladder stones2. Alcohol consumption In many cases, the exact causes are unknown. Other factors that may cause the condition include:1. A fat-processing metabolism disorder caused by a hyper-caloric diet2. Interventions in the biliary tree3. The usage of certain medication, or chemotherapy4. Certain viruses may trigger the condition5. It can occur simultaneously, concurrently with other diseases.

Diagnosing acute pancreatitis

Due to the risk of serious complications, most cases of acute pancreatitis are diagnosed in hospital.Pancreatitis is a condition which is treated in hospital conditions. During a medical examination the patient appears severely ill, exhibiting a tense, taut, hardened abdomen. To diagnose pancreatitis, the following blood tests are performed:1. Amylase test2. Lipase testOther examinations include:1. Abdominal CT Scan 2. MRI3. ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) is a procedure that enables your physician to examine the pancreatic and bile ducts. A bendable, lighted tube (endoscope) about the thickness of your index finger is placed through your mouth and into your stomach and first part of the small intestine (duodenum).

Treating acute pancreatitis

There's no specific treatment for acute pancreatitis, but for most people the condition gets better on its own within a week.Acute pancreatitis is treated under hospital conditions. The patient usually remains hospitalized for 10 to 12 days, under a strict regimen in the intensive care unit, which involves:1. Intravenous fluid2. Parenteral nutrition (venous), and at times a probe may be inserted through the nose into the duodenum (intestine), from which food may be introduced3. Oxygen4. Depending on the specific case, antibiotics or sedatives (morphine) may be neededWhen the pancreatitis is caused by gallbladder stones, the stones are surgically removed, or removed via lithotripsy or contact dissolution therapy. If the condition has been caused by alcohol consumption, the patient must take care to abstain from alcohol completely following their recovery.

Complications of acute pancreatitis

Although most people with acute pancreatitis recover without experiencing further problems, severe cases can have serious complicationSome of the complications that may occur following acute pancreatitis are:1. Pseudocysts, which are small blisters filled with fluid formed on the surface of the pancreas. When they burst they cause abdominal pain. 2. Pancreatic necrosis, which constitutes a very severe complication. This phenomenon poses great mortality risks.3. Systemic inflamation, involving a very high fever (39 degrees Celcius), an increased heart rate, tachycardia, difficulty breathing and mental confusion, all of which aggravate the condition of the patient

Preventing acute pancreatitis

As acute pancreatitis is often caused by gallstones or excessive alcohol consumption, a healthy lifestyle can reduce your chances of developing the condition.A healthy lifestyle is recommended, which includes lowering the caloric intake and eliminating animal fats from your diet, especially for ages 50 and above. Other prevention methods include removal of gallbladder stones if present, and eliminating the consumption of alcohol as two of the main causes of this condition.

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