Acute pancreatitis

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.

Gallstones

The most effective wayof preventing Gallstones is eating a healthy, balanceddiet that includes plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables (at least five portions a day).

Your diet should also include wholegrains, found in wholemeal bread, oats and brown rice. This helps lower the amount of cholesterol in your body.

There is also evidence that regularly eating nuts, such as peanuts or cashews, can help reduce your risk of developing gallstones.

Because of the role cholesterol appears to play in the formation of gallstones, it's advisable to avoid eating too many fatty foods with a high cholesterol content.

Foods high in cholesterol include:

meat pies
sausages and fatty cuts of meat
butter and lard
cakes and biscuits

Being overweight also increases your chances of developing gallstones, so maintaining a healthyweight by eating abalanced diet and taking plenty of regular exercise can alsohelp reduce your risk of developingthe condition.

See exercise , healthy eating and losing weight for more information and advice.

Alcohol

Limiting the amount of alcohol you drink can help prevent your pancreas being damaged, andreduce your risk of developing acute pancreatitis. It can also lower your chances of developing other serious conditions, such as liver cancer .

men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week
spread your drinking over three days or more if you drink as much as 14 units a week

A unit of alcohol is equal to about half a pint of normal-strength lager or a pub measure (25ml) of spirits. A small glass of wine or an alcopopis 1.5 units.

Read the pages on drinking and alcohol for more information and advice.

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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