Pancreatitis

The main symptom of sudden (acute) pancreatitis is sudden moderate to severe pain in the upper area of the belly (abdomen). Pain may also spread to your back.

Sometimes the pain is mild. But the pain may feel as though it bores through the belly to the back. Sitting up or leaning forward sometimes eases the pain. Other symptoms of an attack of pancreatitis are:

• Nausea and vomiting.
• Fever.
• Fast heart rate.
• Sweating.
• Yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes (jaundice).
• Shock.

Long-term (chronic) pancreatitis also causes pain in the upper belly.

Other conditions that have similar symptoms include bowel obstruction, appendicitis, cholecystitis, peptic ulcer disease, and diverticulitis.

Normally, the structure of the pancreas and the pancreatic duct prevent digestive enzymes from damaging the pancreas. But certain conditions can occur that cause damage and pancreatitis.

Acute pancreatitis

Most attacks of pancreatitis are caused by gallstones that block the flow of pancreatic enzymes or by drinking too much alcohol. Sudden (acute) pancreatitis may happen after a drinking binge or after many episodes of heavy drinking.

Other causes of acute pancreatitis are:

• Infections, including mumps.
• Some medicines. These include certain antibiotics, steroids, and blood pressure medicines.
• Injury.
• High triglycerides.

Sometimes the cause isn't known.

Chronic pancreatitis

Drinking too much alcohol is the most common cause of ongoing (chronic) pancreatitis.

Other causes of chronic pancreatitis include cystic fibrosis and a blockage in the pancreas. Chronic pancreatitis may run in families. And smoking cigarettes seems to increase the risk for this disease. In about 1 out of 4 cases, doctors aren't sure what causes it.

Experts don't know how alcohol irritates the pancreas. Most believe that alcohol may cause enzymes to back up into the pancreas. Or it may change the chemistry of the enzymes. This can cause them to inflame the pancreas.

You cannot completely prevent pancreatitis caused by gallstones. But you may be able to reduce your risk of forming gallstones by staying at a healthy weight with a balanced diet and regular exercise.

You can reduce your chance of having pancreatitis by not drinking alcohol excessively. The amount of alcohol needed to cause pancreatitis varies from one person to another. Generally, moderate consumption is considered no more than 2 alcoholic beverages a day for men and 1 a day for women and older people.

Smoking may increase your chance of having pancreatitis. If you smoke, it's a good idea to quit.

If your doctor thinks that you have chronic pancreatitis, they will ask questions about your symptoms and history of pancreatitis and do a physical exam. You may have blood tests to see if your levels of pancreatic enzymes are higher than normal.

Your doctor may also do a CT scan of your belly to look for scarring and other signs of damage of the pancreas. Sometimes a special MRI test called magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is used.

If you have an attack of acute pancreatitis, you will get treatment in the hospital to allow the pancreas to heal. You'll get fluids through a vein (I.V.) to replace lost fluids. The fluids also help keep your blood pressure steady. And you'll get medicines to control pain until the pain goes away.

Fluids and air can build up in your stomach when there are problems with your pancreas. This buildup can cause severe vomiting. If you have this problem, your doctor may place a tube through your nose and into your stomach. The tube helps remove the extra fluids and air. This will help make the pancreas less active and swollen.

Based on what caused the pancreatitis, you may need to stop drinking alcohol. And you may need to make changes to your diet, like eating low-fat foods. Changes like these lower your risk for future attacks.

If you have severe nausea or vomiting, you may not eat anything at first, to help your pancreas rest. Foods will be added slowly to your diet, depending on how you feel.

If gallstones are causing pancreatitis, you may have a procedure called ERCP. ERCP stands for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatogram. It removes the stones from the common bile duct. After you recover from pancreatitis, you may have surgery to remove the gallbladder. This surgery often prevents future attacks of pancreatitis.

Most people get well after an attack of pancreatitis. But problems can happen. Problems may include cysts and infection. Or some of the tissue in the pancreas might die. Surgery may be done to remove a part of the pancreas that has been damaged. This surgery isn't common.

If you have ongoing (chronic) pancreatitis caused by excessive use of alcohol, you will need to quit drinking to reduce severe pain and complications. Drinking large amounts when you have chronic pancreatitis can shorten your life.

Although the role of diet in pancreatitis is not clear, doctors recommend eating a low-fat diet and staying at a healthy body weight.