An overview of Pancreatitis
What is Pancreatitis?
Pancreatitis is inflammation of 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 (glucose).
Pancreatitis can occur as acute pancreatitis — meaning it appears suddenly and lasts for days. Some people develop chronic pancreatitis, which is pancreatitis that occurs over many years.
Types of Pancreatitis?
Acute pancreatitis : Acute pancreatitis is a main cause of hospital admissions for gastrointestinal issues. The onset of acute pancreatitis is often very sudden. The inflammation usually clears up within several days after treatment begins, but some cases could require a hospital stay. Acute pancreatitis is much more commonTrusted Source in adults than in children. Gallstones are the primary causeTrusted Source of acute pancreatitis in adults. The condition can also develop into chronic pancreatitis, especially if you smoke or drink alcohol heavily. Learn more about acute pancreatitis.
Chronic pancreatitis : Chronic pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas that comes back consistently or occurs over a long period of time. People with chronic pancreatitis can haveTrusted Source permanent damage to their pancreas and other complications. Scar tissue develops from this continuing inflammation. Pancreatitis can damage cells that produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone the pancreas releases to regulate the amount of sugar in your blood. When pancreatitis damages these cells, it leads to diabetes in about 45 percent of people with chronic pancreatitis.
Necrotizing pancreatitis : Severe cases of acute pancreatitis can develop into necrotizing pancreatitis, which refers to the death of cells due to disease. This occurs in about 10 percentTrusted Source of acute pancreatitis cases, typically when pancreatitis is left untreated. Inflammation from pancreatitis can cause digestive enzymes to leak into the pancreas. This can result in damage and death of the tissue, leading to necrotizing pancreatitis. Your doctor may order an abdominal ultrasound or CT scan to diagnose the condition. If you have necrotizing pancreatitis, your doctor may take a sample of the dead tissue to make sure it hasn’t become infected. If you have an infection, you’ll likely need to take antibiotics. You may need to have the dead tissue removed.
Causes of Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis occurs when digestive enzymes become activated while still in the pancreas, irritating the cells of your pancreas and causing inflammation.
With repeated bouts of acute pancreatitis, damage to the pancreas can occur and lead to chronic pancreatitis. Scar tissue may form in the pancreas, causing loss of function. A poorly functioning pancreas can cause digestion problems and diabetes.
Gallstones or heavy alcohol drinking are usually the cause of pancreatitis. Rarely, you can also get pancreatitis from:
1. Medications (many can irritate the pancreas).
2. Genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis.
3. Metabolic disorders such as diabetes.
4. Abdominal injury.
5. Infections.
6. High triglyceride levels (fat in the blood).
Signs and symptoms of Pancreatitis?
Signs and symptoms of pancreatitis may vary, depending on which type you experience.
Acute pancreatitis signs and symptoms include:
1. Upper abdominal pain
2. Abdominal pain that radiates to your back
3. Tenderness when touching the abdomen
4. Fever
5. Rapid pulse
6. Nausea
7. Vomiting
Chronic pancreatitis signs and symptoms include:
1. Oily, smelly stools (steatorrhea)
2. Losing weight without trying
3. Abdominal pain that feels worse after eating
4. Upper abdominal pain
Can pancreatitis be prevented?
The best way to prevent pancreatitis is to have a healthy lifestyle. Aim to:
1. Maintain a healthy weight.
2.Get regular exercise.
3. Stop smoking.
4. Avoid alcohol.
How is Pancreatitis diagnosed?
Your doctor will likelyTrusted Source use a combination of blood tests and imaging studies to make a diagnosis. If you have acute pancreatitis, you’ll have severe abdominal pain. Blood tests may show a significant rise in your level of pancreatic enzymes.
Different types of ultrasound, MRI, and CT scans can reveal the anatomy of your pancreas, signs of inflammation, and information about the biliary and pancreatic ducts.
A fecal fat test can also determine whether your stools have fat content that’s higher than normal.
If you need help finding a primary care doctor or gastroenterologist, you can browse doctors in your area through the Healthline FindCare tool.
How is pancreatitis treated?
If you have pancreatitis, your primary care provider will probably refer you to a specialist. A doctor who specializes in the digestive system (gastroenterologist) should oversee your care.
Doctors use one or more of these methods to treat acute pancreatitis:
1. Hospitalization with supportive care and monitoring.
2. Pain medication to provide comfort.
3. Endoscopic procedure or surgery to remove a gallstone, other blockage or damaged part of the pancreas.
4. Supplemental pancreatic enzymes and insulin, if your pancreas isn’t functioning well.
Procedures used to treat pancreatitis
Most pancreatitis complications like pancreatic pseudocyst (type of inflammatory cyst) or infected pancreas tissue are managed through endoscopic procedure (inserting a tube down your throat until it reaches your small intestine, which is next to your pancreas). Gallstones and pancreas stones are removed with an endoscopic procedure.
If surgery is recommended, surgeons can often perform a laparoscopic procedure. This surgical technique involves smaller cuts that take less time to heal.
During laparoscopic surgery, your surgeon inserts a laparoscope (an instrument with a tiny camera and light) into keyhole-sized cuts in your abdomen. The laparoscope sends images of your organs to a monitor to help guide the surgeon during the procedure.
Risk factors
Factors that increase your risk of pancreatitis include:
Excessive alcohol consumption : Research shows that heavy alcohol users (people who consume four to five drinks a day) are at increased risk of pancreatitis.
Cigarette smoking : Smokers are on average three times more likely to develop chronic pancreatitis, compared with nonsmokers. The good news is quitting smoking decreases your risk by about half.
Obesity : You're more likely to get pancreatitis if you're obese.
Diabetes : Having diabetes increases your risk of pancreatitis.
Family history of pancreatitis : The role of genetics is becoming increasingly recognized in chronic pancreatitis. If you have family members with the condition, your odds increase — especially when combined with other risk factors.
Frequently Asked Questions About pancreatitis
Typically, acute pancreatitis lasts only a few days. But if you have a more severe case, it may take several weeks to months to recover. Chronic pancreatitis requires lifelong management.
With treatment, most people with acute pancreatitis completely recover.
Chronic pancreatitis is a long-lasting condition. Once it’s severely damaged, your pancreas doesn’t function properly. You need ongoing support to digest food and manage blood sugar.
With chronic pancreatitis, painful episodes can come and go or persist (last a long time).
You can also have another attack of acute pancreatitis, especially if you haven’t resolved the underlying problem. For example, if you have another gallstone that blocks the opening to the pancreas, you can get acute pancreatitis again.
The pancreas is an organ in the upper abdomen (belly). It connects to the beginning of the small intestine (the duodenum). It contains the pancreatic duct (tube), which drains digestive enzymes (chemicals) into the small intestine (the duodenum).