Symptoms, treatment, causes, and complications

Acute pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas that develops quickly. Some mild cases resolve without treatment, but severe cases need treatment to prevent life-threatening complications.

The pancreas is a long, flat gland behind the stomach in the upper abdomen. It produces digestive enzymes and hormones, which regulate how the body processes glucose, for instance.

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. It can either be acute, in which case short-term inflammation develops suddenly, or chronic, in which case it is reoccurring or persistent.

The most common cause of acute pancreatitis is gallstones, which can become lodged in a bile or pancreatic duct and cause inflammation. Other common causes include excessive alcohol use, genetic conditions, and the use of certain medications.

Fast facts on acute pancreatitis

• Pancreatitis is split into acute and chronic types.
• The pancreas carries out many tasks, including the production of digestive enzymes.
• Symptoms include pain in the center of the upper abdomen, vomiting, and diarrhea.
• The most common causes of acute pancreatitis are gallstones and alcohol abuse.

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Typically, a person has a sudden onset of pain in the center of their upper abdomen, below the breastbone, or sternum. The pain may intensify and become severe, and it may spread into the back. Leaning forward may ease it, but lying down or walking can make it worse. Anyone with unrelenting pain should receive medical attention.

The following symptoms may also occur:

• vomiting
• nausea
• diarrhea
• swelling and tenderness of the abdomen
• a rapid pulse
• a fever

Treatment for acute pancreatitis depends on its severity. For people with mild cases, the risk of complications is low, and the symptoms may resolve after a few days of rest and treatment. In severe cases, the risk is significant.

Treatment for mild acute pancreatitis

The aim is to maintain bodily functions and ease the symptoms while the pancreas heals itself. The treatment may include:

• Painkillers: Mild acute pancreatitis can be moderately or severely painful.
• Nasogastric tubes: These can remove excess liquid and air to relieve nausea and vomiting.
• Bowel rest: The gastrointestinal tract needs to rest for a few days, so the person will not have any food or drink by mouth until their condition improves.
• Preventing dehydration: Dehydration often accompanies pancreatitis, and it can worsen the symptoms and complications. Healthcare professionals usually provide fluid intravenously for the first 24–48 hours.

A person can usually return from the hospital after about 5–7 days.

Treatment for severe acute pancreatitis

Severe cases often involve some tissue death, or necrosis. This increases the risk of sepsis, a severe bacterial infection that can affect the whole body. Sepsis can lead to multiorgan damage or failure.

Severe acute pancreatitis can also cause hypovolemic shock. This involves severe blood and fluid loss leaving the heart unable to pump enough blood to the body. If this happens, parts of the body can rapidly become deprived of oxygen. This is a life threatening situation.

Treatment for this kind of pancreatitis includes:

• Treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU): There, injected antibiotics can help prevent an infection from developing in the dead tissue.
• Intravenous fluids: These help maintain hydration and prevent hypovolemic shock.
• Feeding tubes: These provide nutrition, and taking this course early may improve the outcome.
• Surgery: In some cases, the medical team may recommend surgical removal of the dead tissue.

The patient will stay in the ICU until there is no longer a risk of organ failure, hypovolemic shock, or sepsis.

Treating gallstones

If gallstones are responsible for acute pancreatitis, a doctor may recommend surgery or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) after the pancreatitis improves. ERCP involves using imaging to diagnose and treat health conditions that affect the bile and pancreatic ducts.

After surgery to remove gallstones, a person may need to have a diet that helps reduce blood cholesterol. This is because excess cholesterol encourages the growth of gallstones.

Also, when gallstones have caused pancreatitis, the American Gastroenterological Association recommends considering surgery to remove the gallbladder to prevent future attacks.

Treating alcohol misuse

If doctors determine that alcohol misuse has caused acute pancreatitis, they may recommend a treatment program for alcohol misuse.

Gallstones and alcohol misuse are the most common causes of acute pancreatitis.

Gallstones

Gallstones are small, pebble-like formations that develop in the gallbladder, often when there is too much cholesterol in the body’s bile.

Sometimes, gallstones become lodged as they travel through bile ducts into the intestines. This blockage affects the pancreas and prevents it from releasing its enzymes into the intestines.

Alcohol misuse

Researchers and medical experts have linked ongoing, substantial consumption of alcohol to a higher risk of acute and chronic pancreatitis.

While the nature of this link remains unclear, alcohol may increase the production of substances that damage pancreatic tissue and lead to severe inflammatory responses.

Other causes

Other possible causes of acute pancreatitis include:

• infections
• some autoimmune conditions, such as lupus and Sjögren’s disease
• specific genetic mutations
• trauma or injury to the pancreas
• high triglyceride levels in the blood
• high calcium levels in the blood
• certain medications

For a few days during treatment, a person may be unable to eat or need to avoid solid foods. In the hospital, some people require a feeding tube.

When the person starts eating again, the doctor may recommend a healthy low-fat diet with small, regularly paced meals. It is important to drink plenty of fluids, but limit caffeine and avoid alcohol.

Pancreatitis can lead to potentially fatal complications. These can include:

• the obstruction of a bile or pancreatic duct
• leakage from a pancreatic duct
• pseudocysts, with a risk of rupture, hemorrhage, or infection
• damage to the pancreas
• a buildup of fluid around the lungs
• a blockage in a vessel that drains blood from the spleen
• sepsis
• hypovolemic shock

Heart, lung, and kidney failure may also occur. Without treatment, these can lead to death.

Anyone with symptoms of acute or chronic pancreatitis should receive medical care as soon as possible.

First, the doctor asks about symptoms and examines the person’s abdomen. If certain areas are sensitive to the touch, this could indicate acute pancreatitis.

In a person with this condition, the abdominal wall muscles are rigid, so when the doctor listens to the abdomen with a stethoscope, there may be very few or no intestinal sounds.

Blood tests

If blood levels of amylase and lipase are higher than normal, the doctor usually sends the person to the hospital. This is because the pancreas produces elevated levels of both chemicals in response to tissue damage, and these enzymes then leak into the blood stream.

However, if the blood test happens outside the first or second day of the illness, the results may be inaccurate. This is because lipase and amylase levels are highest in the first few hours of the illness and return to normal after a few days.

Further testing in the hospital

To determine the cause and risk of complications, the medical team in the hospital may perform:

• An ultrasound scan: This involves using high-frequency sound waves to create an image of the pancreas, gallbladder, and their surrounding structures.
• Contrast-enhanced CT scan: This takes pictures of the same area from many angles and combines them to produce a 3D image. It can help identify inflammation of the pancreas, fluid collection, and any changes in the density of the organ.
• Chest X-ray: This can show areas of collapsed lung tissue or accumulation of fluid in the chest cavity.
• ERCP: This involves using an endoscope, a thin, flexible tube with a camera, to view the digestive system and determine the exact locations of any gallstones.

Acute pancreatitis usually resolves in a few days with treatment. A person may need to receive this in a hospital, depending on the cause and severity of the condition.

In the U.S., acute pancreatitis is a leading cause of hospital admission due to gastrointestinal disease, resulting in roughly 300,000 hospitalizations a year.

Evidence suggests that there were roughly 2.8 million cases of acute pancreatitis globally in 2019. While there were substantial differences in incidence and mortality across regions, the condition affected roughly 35 in every 100,000 individuals. Approximately 115,053 deaths resulted from acute pancreatitis during that year, with a mortality rate of 1.4 per 100,000 people.

Pancreatitis – discharge Information | Mount Sinai

Chronic pancreatitis – discharge; Pancreatitis – chronic – discharge; Pancreatic insufficiency – discharge; Acute pancreatitis – discharge

You were in the hospital because you have pancreatitis. This is a swelling (inflammation) of the pancreas. This article tells you what you need to know to take care of yourself after you go home from the hospital.

When You’re in the Hospital

During your stay in the hospital, you may have had blood tests and imaging exams, such as a CT scan or ultrasound. You may have been given medicines to help your pain or fight and prevent infections. You may have been given fluids through an intravenous (IV) tube in your vein and nutrition through a feeding tube or IV. You may have had a tube inserted through your nose that helped remove the contents of your stomach.

If your pancreatitis was caused by gallstones or a blocked bile or pancreatic duct, you may have had surgery. Your health care provider may also have drained a cyst (collection of fluid) in your pancreas.

Self-care

After an episode of pain from pancreatitis, you should start off with drinking only clear liquids, such as soup broth or gelatin. You will need to follow this diet until your symptoms get better. Slowly add other foods back to your diet when you are better.

Talk with your provider about:

• Eating a healthy diet that is low in fat, with no more than 30 grams of fat per day
• Eating foods that are high in protein and carbohydrates, but low in fat. Eat smaller meals, and eat more often. Your provider will help make sure you are getting enough calories to not lose weight.
• Quitting smoking or using other tobacco products, if you use these substances.
• Losing weight, if you are overweight.

Always talk to your provider before taking any medicines or herbs.

Do not drink any alcohol.

If your body can no longer absorb fats that you eat, your provider may ask you to take a medicine called pancreatic enzymes. These will help your body absorb fats in your food better.

• You will need to take this medicine with every meal and snack. Your provider will tell you how much to take.
• When you take these enzymes, you may also need to take another medicine to decrease the acid in your stomach.

If your pancreas has a lot of damage, you may also develop diabetes. You will be checked for this problem.

Managing Your Pain

Avoiding alcohol, tobacco, and foods that make your symptoms worse is the first step to controlling pain.

Use acetaminophen (Tylenol) or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), at first to try and control your pain.

You will get a prescription for pain medicines. Get it filled when you go home so you have it available. If the pain is getting worse, take your pain medicine to help before the pain becomes very bad.

When to Call the Doctor

Contact your provider if you have:

• Very bad pain that is not relieved by over-the-counter drugs
• Problems eating, drinking, or taking your drugs because of nausea or vomiting
• Problems breathing or a very fast heartbeat
• Pain with fever, chills, frequent vomiting, or with feeling faint, weak, or tired
• Weight loss or problems digesting your food
• Yellow color to your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)

Forsmark CE. Pancreatitis. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 135.

Tenner S, Baillie J, DeWitt J, Vege SS; American College of Gastroenterology. American College of Gastroenterology guideline: management of acute pancreatitis. Am J Gastroenterol. 2013;108(9):1400-1415. PMID: 23896955 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23896955/.

Van Buren G, Fisher WE. Acute and chronic pancreatitis. In: Kellerman RD, Rakel DP, Heidelbaugh JJ, Lee EM, eds. Conn’s Current Therapy 2023. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier 2023:173-180.

Vege SS. Acute pancreatitis. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger and Fordtran’s Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 58.

Last reviewed on: 10/31/2022

Reviewed by: Michael M. Phillips, MD, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

Treatment of pancreatic pancreatitis at home

Pancreatitis: when to make an appointment with a doctor?

Pancreatitis is a severe and life-threatening disease in which the pancreas becomes inflamed and the entire digestive system fails.

Enzymes that are produced by the gland and which are necessary for peristalsis (Fig. 1) begin to accumulate in it and destroy the organ from the inside. Further, these enzymes enter the bloodstream, which leads to general intoxication.

Figure 1. Digestive enzymes are produced in the pancreas (the stomach is “removed”). Source: www.niddk.nih.gov

The course of the disease can be different: it can be acute (with mild and severe manifestations) and chronic (Fig. 2).

Figure 2. Acute and chronic pancreatitis. Source: MedPortal

A mild acute form can be caused by excessive consumption of fatty foods or alcohol intake. In this case, pancreatitis may go away on its own. However, if the disease is not diagnosed and treated, serious consequences are possible. Pancreatitis not detected in time will only aggravate the condition of the pancreas. The ducts of the gland will become clogged, which will create intraductal pressure in the organ, which will respond with pain. The accumulated enzymes, destroying the gland, will lead to the formation of scars in it – the disease will become chronic. Chronic pancreatitis is always fraught with serious complications: the death of part of the pancreas or even the entire organ.

Acute pancreatitis is more common than chronic pancreatitis. In the United States, about 275 thousand people are hospitalized annually with this diagnosis. For chronic pancreatitis, the figure is much less – about 86 thousand hospitalizations per year.

If the main symptoms of pancreatitis appear, you should immediately go to the hospital or call an ambulance. These include:

• constant severe pain under the left rib (or radiating to the back and left shoulder blade),
• persistent vomiting that does not get better (possible from
• bile),
• swelling in the upper abdomen, swelling of the upper abdomen,
• palpitations,
• low blood pressure.

Diagnosis

In order to make a diagnosis of pancreatitis, the doctor sends the patient for tests: fat in the feces indicates its poor digestion and absorption – malabsorption).

Pancreatic juice can also be taken for analysis to determine the amount of enzymes. The procedure is called cannulation and consists of inserting a tube into the main duct of the organ. With problems with the gland, enzymes will accumulate in the organ. Their excess number indicates pancreatitis.

Taken from the article “Pancreatitis”

Instrumental imaging methods are also used for diagnosis:

• Ultrasound. Ultrasound helps to detect gallstones. Ultrasound can be endoscopic, then an endoscope is inserted into the patient’s stomach through the mouth.
• CT. Computed tomography provides images of the pancreas, gallbladder, and bile ducts.
• MRI. It is used to identify the causes of pancreatitis, based on the state of the internal organs.

Diagnosis of pancreatitis in pregnant women

Acute pancreatitis is rare in pregnant women. Among the main reasons:

• alcohol consumption,
• simultaneous intake of a large number of medications,
• increased intra-abdominal pressure, which prevents the outflow of bile and increases pressure in the pancreatic duct.

The disease may be discovered randomly during pregnancy monitoring. On ultrasound, the gland is usually enlarged and loses its echogenicity. But there are times when women experience acute pain in the abdomen, radiating to the back. It is not relieved by painkillers and is accompanied by constant vomiting. The temperature may rise, dehydration occurs, the skin becomes yellowish. All this speaks of pancreatitis.

Treatment

Treatment depends on the form of the disease and the condition of the patient. In mild and chronic forms, hospitalization is not required – it is important to keep inflammation under control. Any meal, especially in excess or the consumption of fatty foods and alcohol, is a blow to the gland. The body can no longer cope with its functions, and such nutrition leads to increased inflammation. Therefore, for the treatment of such mild forms, anti-inflammatory drugs, enzyme preparations (in the chronic form, when the gland is no longer able to produce enough enzymes) and a strict diet are needed.

In acute form and recurrence of chronic pancreatitis, hospitalization is vital. Treatment should be started as early as possible with conservative methods:

• full fast with gastric emptying with a tube,
• cold on the abdomen to relieve inflammation,
• analgesics and antispasmodics for the relief of pain and spasms.

Preparations

It is necessary to get rid of the causes that caused the disease. To do this, prescribe a whole course of various medications, including:

• antispasmodics: to relieve pain;
• enzyme and anti-enzyme preparations that either block the production of enzymes in their excess or, conversely, are aimed at filling their deficiency in the intestine;
• antibiotics: to rule out infections;
• antacids and antisecretory drugs: to reduce acidity in the stomach, neutralize gastric hydrochloric acid, heal scars and as a gastroprotective agent;
• vitamins: since they are responsible for the metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and also help enzymes in their work and protect against pancreatic cancer;
• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics: to relieve inflammation and pain;
• choleretic agents: to prevent bile stasis and reduce the load on the pancreas, etc.

Important! Any drug has its contraindications and side effects. So, choleretic substances should never be used during a period of acute pain. This is fraught with serious consequences. Therefore, any medication and a change in its dosage occur only after consultation with your doctor. Read more about drugs for pancreatitis in a separate article.

Diet

Pancreatitis cannot be treated without diet. First of all, it is necessary to remove the disease from the stage of acute inflammation. In acute pain, the first rule is complete hunger. Doctors recommend fasting for the first 3 days after the onset of symptoms of the acute stage. Then, within 3-7 days, eating carbohydrate foods is allowed: portions should be small, the intervals between meals should be small.

Fractional nutrition, no fatty foods, a complete ban on alcohol – these rules will need to be observed throughout life. The patient is recommended the so-called table number 5 as a guide. The diet prohibits spicy, fried, smoked dishes, it is better to cook dishes for a couple, giving preference to lean meats, vegetables, and non-sour fruits (Fig. 3). All the key rules of table number 5 can be found in the article “Diet for Pancreatitis”.

Figure 3. Principles of diet for pancreatitis. Source: MedPortal

Surgery

If conservative treatment with medication is ineffective, pancreatitis is treated surgically. First, doctors try to minimize surgical intervention in the body: they perform puncture and drainage, making small incisions and inserting special tubes (drainages) into the abdominal cavity.

In case of progressive course of pancreatitis, including that caused by a malignant tumor, surgery is indicated. In this case, a laparotomy is performed (opening and “washing” the abdominal cavity), sometimes with partial (resection) or radical (complete) removal of the pancreas.

Important! The gland is removed if the organ can no longer be restored. You can live without a gland, but you will have to artificially support its functions: take insulin, enzyme preparations and follow a very strict diet.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is also used in the fight against pancreatitis. It includes exposure using electromagnetic waves, ultrasonic and laser exposure, electrophoresis. This therapy is aimed at relieving inflammation and improving blood circulation. Drinking mineral waters and mud therapy are considered useful.

How to treat pancreatitis at home

It is necessary to take drugs that are aimed at combating pancreatitis strictly after visiting a doctor. If the pain returns, it is necessary to ensure pancreatic rest – this means the complete absence of food, which provokes the gland to produce juice and enzymes. In the future, it is vital for the patient to take medications on time and follow a diet. With pancreatic disease, every meal and every pill matters.

Folk remedies

Folk remedies include decoctions of wild rose, herbal preparations that include chamomile, mint and calendula, and sprouted oatmeal jelly. It is important to understand that home-prepared remedies are not curative, and pancreatitis is a disease that, in the absence of medication, leads to death.

Differences in the treatment of men, women and children

Although the causes of the disease in men and women may differ, the treatment is the same for everyone. Exceptions are pregnant women and children.

The complexity of treatment in pregnant women lies in the limited methods that can be applied. The issue of prescribing antibiotics and the consequences of their use for the unborn child remains open. For preventive purposes, doctors try not to use them. They are prescribed only under certain conditions, such as an infection in the bile ducts, etc. As a rule, doctors limit themselves to prescribing antihyperlipidemic drugs, insulin, heparin, and diet. The question of applicable therapy and termination of pregnancy is always decided individually.

In children, pancreatitis is more difficult to diagnose but easier to treat. Treatment is aimed at eliminating the cause of the disease and preventing dangerous consequences. Children are prescribed the same drugs as adults. The dosage of each medication is determined by the doctor. Diet is just as important for children as it is for adults. The rules are the same: fractional meals, small portions, a reduced amount of fat, sugar and salt, the rejection of fried and pickled foods, soda, chocolate and ice cream.

How many are treated

Only the doctor determines the duration of the medication. What matters is the form of the disease, the presence of complications, whether the operation was performed. As a rule, in acute mild pancreatitis, the duration of treatment is 3-5 days. Antibiotics should be taken for 7-14 days. The doctor can prescribe enzyme therapy for 2-3 months and with breaks of one to two months or for life.

Can it be cured?

Fatty foods, alcohol, and certain medications can cause early and mild pancreatitis. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the transition of the disease into a more severe form by changing the diet and giving up alcohol and other bad habits. In the case of chronic pancreatitis, the organ, as a rule, is already affected and cannot be restored. Even after a course of medication, you will have to undergo maintenance therapy, follow a strict diet and completely give up alcohol and smoking.

Potential Complications

Pancreatitis requires an arsenal of drugs for different purposes. But drug therapy always has consequences. Antibiotics lead to indigestion, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have the risk of developing serious complications from the gastrointestinal tract and the cardiovascular system. Enzyme preparations can cause allergic reactions, moreover, they are contraindicated in case of damage to the kidneys and liver.

However, the complications of untreated pancreatitis are much more dangerous than the side effects of drugs. Acute attacks of pancreatitis threaten to become chronic. Possible complications of pancreatitis: purulent inflammation of the pancreas, peritonitis, sepsis, complications from the heart, lungs and other organs.

Prevention

Prevention includes a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition: food intake and strict dietary restrictions. It is best to eat small meals at the same time. Food must be warm. You need to completely give up alcohol and smoking. Movement is very important for peristalsis, so a sedentary lifestyle should be left in the past.

Conclusion

Pancreatitis is a severe and life-threatening illness that cannot be treated at home. With its symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor. Drug therapy is a fundamental factor in the fight against pancreatitis. It includes: antibiotics, antispasmodics, enzyme preparations, antisecretory and antienzymatic drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs, choleretic and vitamins. At home, it is extremely important to follow the instructions for taking and dosage of the drug given by the doctor.

A strict lifelong diet is as important as medication. Any ingestion of the wrong food will immediately cause an additional load on the gland on the organ, and consequently, a new inflammation and pain. As a basis, you need to take table number 5, from which fatty foods, pickled and canned foods, alcohol, carbonated drinks and sweets are excluded.

Duration of treatment depends on the form. The lung is treated for 3-5 days, antibiotics are drunk for 7-14 days. Enzyme therapy can be prescribed for life with interruptions. With pancreatitis, if this is not its primary manifestation in a mild form, the structure of the gland changes irrevocably. Therefore, it is a lifelong disease: therapy is designed to prevent inflammation and damage to other organs.

Sources

1. Journal of Surgery of Ukraine. – 2015. – No. 4. – S. 28-32. Features of diagnosis and treatment of acute pancreatitis in pregnant women. Authors: V. I. Mamchich, O. V. Golyanovskiy, I. V. Kandaurova, T. Yu. Pilipenko, M. A. Yosipenko, Yu. O. Litvinets.
2. Site of the leading researcher of the Department of Emergency Surgery, Endoscopy, Intensive Care, Candidate of Medical Sciences, surgeon-gastroenterologist of the highest category, ultrasound doctor, specialist in minimally invasive surgical interventions under ultrasound Novikov Sergey Valentinovich. Chronic pancreatitis.
3. Official website of the State Budgetary Institution of Health Maternity Hospital No. 2, Magnitogorsk. Enzymes for pancreatitis: what to take, the effect on the pancreas.

Treatment of pancreatitis in St. Petersburg

This disease, according to the classification of MBC 10, received the code K 86.6 and is a chronic process of inflammation of various parts of the pancreas, due to stagnation of produced enzymes, the outflow of which for some reason stops. Under such conditions, the substances produced by PZhZh corrode the walls of the organ, its vessels and even nearby tissues, which is fraught with death.

Enzyme stagnation can be caused by the presence of sand or stones, cysts, improper position of organs, pathologies of their development, trauma, and much more.

Often an infection joins the process of inflammation, causing suppuration, which leads to necrosis.

In addition, when eating certain foods, enzymes and other substances necessary for digestion begin to be produced in large quantities. For example, alcohol, spicy, salty and fatty foods, as well as smoked meats, provoke their active production, which contributes to an aggressive attack on the gland.

The disease is dangerous because the affected organ is located close to the aorta, so inflammation can spread to it and other organs. This is fatal. Pancreatitis often leads to the development of pancreatic cancer. Therefore, it requires immediate treatment, especially in case of exacerbation. Sad statistics show that death ends in 15 to 90% of cases.

Pancreatic pancreatitis occurs in persons prone to alcohol abuse. They account for 40% of all patients, and in certain regions this number reaches 70%.

The next group of people susceptible to this disease are patients with cholelithiasis.

20% are obese. At risk of chronic pancreatitis are those who have pathologies of the digestive system, for example, an incorrect location. Their number is 5%. 4% of all patients who went to the doctor used various drugs uncontrollably or suffered poisoning. Not only adults suffer from this disease, a child, and even animals, such as a cat, can be affected.

Symptoms

In order to detect the disease in time, it is necessary to know the signs and symptoms of pancreatitis. How to behave during an acute attack, what to do to relieve pain. What you can and can not eat and drink in the chronic course of the disease.

So, let’s look at pancreatitis, its symptoms and treatment in more detail.

The nature of pain in the acute form is as follows. It is localized under the ribs on one or both sides, it can radiate to the back, shoulder blade, chest, or be encircling. It depends on which part of the gland the inflammation is concentrated. The patient constantly feels pain, it can be dull or sharp, which is aggravated by taking alcohol or other products that provoke hypersecretion of juice. Its intensity can reach such limits that it causes shock. If the attack is not stopped, the result can be disastrous, even fatal.

Patients with the chronic form suffer from pain for years, which worsens after eating after 15-20 minutes. Especially if secret-provoking products were taken. This state lasts for about an hour, sometimes up to several days.

Pancreatitis of the pancreas is also characterized by other symptoms, such as:

• Change in skin color in various parts of the body. So, the face acquires pallor and a gray-earthy tone. On the lower back and near the navel, it becomes marbled and cyanotic. In the groin area takes on a greenish tint. In addition, the color of the sclera changes, they become yellow, like the skin with a sclerosing form.
• Nausea and vomiting occur during acute pancreatitis.
• Bloating, belching, hiccups.
• Body temperature rises.
• There are jumps in blood pressure.
• The patient dries up in the mouth, and a yellow coating is deposited on the tongue.
• Illness accompanied by constipation or diarrhoea.
• Shortness of breath, excessive sweating.
• Some patients lose weight rapidly.

In pancreatitis, the pancreas loses the function of producing insulin, which is fraught with the development of diabetes. The pathogenesis of the disease is due to the strong production of enzymes. Therefore, it is extremely important to avoid eating the gland that causes hyperfunction.

Causes

In addition to taking harmful products, the following can provoke the disease:

• Alcohol poisoning and intoxication with toxic substances.
• Operations and injuries of the organ.
• Uncontrolled use of medications, such as antibiotics.
• Overeating.
• Increase in blood pressure.
• Allergy.
• Infections.
• Hereditary factor.

In addition, nervous stress plays a role in the exacerbation of pancreatitis.

Complications

Untreated pancreatitis can cause the following complications:

• Organ abscess.
• Diabetes mellitus.
• Cholecysto-pancreatitis.
• Pulmonary complications.

Types of pancreatitis

The disease is classified according to various criteria.

Downstream:

Divided into acute and recurrent, chronic and acute form.

According to the nature of the lesion of the gland:

The following types of pancreatic necrosis are determined – small-, medium- and large-focal, as well as total-subtotal.

According to the phase of the development of the disease, they are divided into:

• Enzymatic, which lasts from 3 to 5 days.
• Reactive, the duration of which is 6-14 days.
• Squestation (15 days).
• Baseline, which is counted from the onset of symptoms and up to six months of the course.

Diagnosis

The complexity of determining the disease lies in the deep location of the organ and its small size. Therefore, the diagnostician must study the medical history and clinical picture, conduct laboratory tests of blood and feces, and also do an ultrasound scan, and a CT scan if there is a suspicion of damage to the head of the pancreas.

The choice of therapy depends on the correct diagnosis.

Treatment

May be administered at home if prescribed as a tablet, but if special medications are required in a hospital. It all depends on the degree of the course and the condition of the patient. Sometimes it is necessary to treat with hunger to ensure a complete inflamed gland. Surgery is used in the formation of false cysts.

Mild forms of drug treatment are not required. Diet table number 5 is recommended. To draw up a diet, it is better to use the table of prohibited and permitted foods.

First aid for pancreatitis

During an acute attack, the patient needs rest and lack of any physical activity. To do this, you need to lie in bed and take the fetal position. Place an ice pack on the abdomen. If it is not possible to contact the clinic in person, call an ambulance. Before the arrival of the brigade, you can give Spazmalgon or No-Shpa, Maksigan or Drotaverin to calm the pain.