Acute pancreatitis
Although most people with acute pancreatitis recover without experiencing further problems, severe casescan have serious complications.
Pseudocysts are sacs of fluid that can develop on the surface of the pancreas. They're a common complication of acute pancreatitis, thought to affect around 1 in 20 people with the condition.
Pseudocysts usually develop four weeks after the symptoms of acute pancreatitis start. In many cases, they don't cause any symptoms and are only detected during a computerised tomography (CT) scan .
However, in some people, pseudocysts can cause bloating, Indigestion and a dull abdominal (tummy) pain.
If the pseudocysts are small and not causing any symptoms, there may be no need for further treatment, as they usually go away on their own.
Treatment is usually recommended if you're experiencing symptoms or ifthe pseudocysts are large. Larger pseudocysts are at risk of bursting, which could cause internal bleeding or trigger an infection.
Pseudocysts can be treated by draining the fluid out of the cyst by inserting a needle intoit through your skin. This can also be done by carrying out an endoscopy , wherea thin, flexible tube called an endoscope is passed down your throat, and tiny tools are used to drain away the fluid.
In aroundone in threesevere cases of acute pancreatitis,a serious complication called infected pancreatic necrosis occurs.
In infected pancreatic necrosis, high levels of inflammation cause an interruption to the blood supply of your pancreas. Without a consistent supply of blood, some of the tissue of your pancreas will die. Necrosis is the medical term for the death of tissue.
The dead tissue is extremely vulnerable to infection from bacteria. Once an infection has occurred, it can quickly spread into the blood ( blood poisoning ) and cause multiple organ failure. If left untreated, infected pancreatic necrosis is almost always fatal.
Infected pancreatic necrosis usually developstwo to six weeks after thesymptoms of acute pancreatitis starts. Symptoms include increased abdominal pain and a high temperature. The infectionis treated with injections of antibiotics , and the dead tissue needs to be removed to prevent the infection returning.
In some cases, it may be possible to drain away the dead tissue using a thin tube called a catheter, which is placed through the skin.
Alternatively, laparoscopic surgery (keyhole surgery) can be used.A small cutis made in your back and an endoscope is inserted to wash away any dead tissue. If laparoscopic surgeryisn't possible, a cutcan bemade in your abdomen to allow the dead tissue to be removed.
Infected pancreatic necrosis is a very serious complication. Even with the highest standards of medical care, the risk of dying from organ failure is estimated to be aroundone in five.
Another common complication of severe acute pancreatitis is systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). SIRS develops in an estimated 1 in 10 severe cases of acute pancreatitis.
In SIRS, the inflammation affecting the pancreas spreads throughout the body, which can cause one or more organs to fail. It usually develops during the first week after thesymptoms start, with most cases developing on the same day.
Symptoms of SIRS include:
There's currently no cure for SIRS, so treatment involves trying to support the body's functions until the inflammation has passed. The outcome depends on how many organs fail. The higher the number of organs affected, the greater the risk of death.
If you have repeated episodes of acute pancreatitis, the damage to your pancreas may lead to chronic pancreatitis .
Chronic pancreatitis is a long-term condition that can have a serious impact on your quality of life.
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.
<p>The main symptom of acute pancreatitis is a severe, dull pain around the top of your stomach that develops suddenly.</p><p><strong>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.</strong></p>
<p>Most cases of acute pancreatitis are closely linked to gallstones and alcohol consumption, although the exact cause is not always clear.</p><p><strong>Acute pancreatitis is mainly caused by the following:</strong></p><p><strong>1. The presence of gallbladder stones</strong></p><p><strong>2. Alcohol consumption </strong></p><p><strong>In many cases, the exact causes are unknown. </strong></p><p><strong>Other factors that may cause the condition include:</strong></p><p><strong>1. A fat-processing metabolism disorder caused by a hyper-caloric diet</strong></p><p><strong>2. Interventions in the biliary tree</strong></p><p><strong>3. The usage of certain medication, or chemotherapy</strong></p><p><strong>4. Certain viruses may trigger the condition</strong></p><p><strong>5. It can occur simultaneously, concurrently with other diseases.</strong></p><p> </p>
<p>Due to the risk of serious complications, most cases of acute pancreatitis are diagnosed in hospital.</p><p><strong>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:</strong></p><p><strong>1. Amylase test</strong></p><p><strong>2. Lipase test</strong></p><p><strong>Other examinations include:</strong></p><p><strong>1. Abdominal CT Scan </strong></p><p><strong>2. MRI</strong></p><p><strong>3. ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography)</strong><strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> is a </span>procedure<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> 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).</span></strong></p><p> </p>
<p>There's no specific treatment for acute pancreatitis, but for most people the condition gets better on its own within a week.</p><p><strong>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:</strong></p><p><strong>1. Intravenous fluid</strong></p><p><strong>2. Parenteral nutrition (venous), and at times a probe may be inserted through the nose into the duodenum (intestine), from which food may be introduced</strong></p><p><strong>3. Oxygen</strong></p><p><strong>4. Depending on the specific case, antibiotics or sedatives (morphine) may be needed</strong></p><p><strong>When 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. </strong></p>
<p>Although most people with acute pancreatitis recover without experiencing further problems, severe cases can have serious complication</p><p><strong>Some of the complications that may occur following acute pancreatitis are:</strong></p><p><strong>1. Pseudocysts, which are small blisters filled with fluid formed on the surface of the pancreas. When they burst they cause abdominal pain. </strong></p><p><strong>2. Pancreatic necrosis, which constitutes a very severe complication. This phenomenon poses great mortality risks.</strong></p><p><strong>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</strong></p><p> </p>
<p>As acute pancreatitis is often caused by gallstones or excessive alcohol consumption, a healthy lifestyle can reduce your chances of developing the condition.</p><p><strong>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. </strong></p><p> </p>