Pancreatitis, chronic
Complications of chronic pancreatitis are relatively common and usually caused by living with chronic painor damage to the pancreas.
Any chronic health condition, particularly one causing recurring or constant pain, can have an adverse effect on your emotional and psychological health.The InternationalAssociation for the Study of Painfound that up to 94% of people withchronic pancreatitis experience pain.
One study ofpeople living with chronic pancreatitis found that one inseven people had some sort of psychological or emotional problem, such as stress , Generalised anxiety disorder or depression .
Contact your GP if you're experiencing psychological and emotional difficulties. Effective treatments are availableto help improve the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression.
Joining a support group for people with chronic pancreatitis, such as the Pancreatitis Supporters' Network , may also help. Talking to other people with the same condition can often help to reduce feelings of isolation and stress.
Around a third of people with chronic pancreatitis develop diabetes , usually many years after receiving their diagnosis (it's not unusual for 20 years to pass before diabetes occurs).
Diabetes develops when your pancreas is no longer able to produce insulin (a chemical the body uses to break glucose down into energy). The main symptoms of diabetes are:
If you develop diabetes because of chronic pancreatitis, you'll probably need to have regular insulin injections to compensate for the lack of natural insulin in your body.
Another common complication of chronic pancreatitis is pseudocysts (sacs of fluid which develop on the surface of your pancreas). They're thought to affect around1 in10people with chronic pancreatitis.
In many cases, pseudocysts don't cause any symptoms and are only detected during a computerised tomography (CT) scan . However, in some people, pseudocysts can cause the following symptoms:
If the pseudocysts are small and not causing any symptoms, there may be no need for treatment, because they usually disappear on their own.
Treatment is usually recommended if you're experiencing symptoms or the pseudocysts are larger than 6cm (2.3 inches) in diameter. Larger pseudocysts are at risk of bursting open, which could cause internal bleeding or trigger an infection.
Pseudocysts can be treated by draining the fluid out of the cyst. This can be done by inserting a needle through your skin and into the cyst. Alternatively, an endoscopy may be used. This is where a thin, flexible tube called an endoscope is passed down your throat, and tiny tools are used to drain away the fluid.
Sometimes, pseudocysts are treated by removing part of the pancreas using laparoscopic or "keyhole" surgery. This is known as a laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy. See guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy .
Chronic pancreatitis increases your risk of developing pancreatic cancer . However, the increased risk is relatively small. For example, it's estimated that for every 100 people with chronic pancreatitis, onlyone or twowill develop pancreatic cancer.
The most common initial symptoms of pancreatic cancer are much the same as chronic pancreatitis. Theyinclude jaundice , abdominal pain and weight loss.
Chronic pancreatitis is a condition where the pancreas becomes permanently damaged due to inflammation.
Repeated episodes of abdominal (tummy) pain are the most common symptom of chronic pancreatitis.
Chronic pancreatitis is often related to long-term alcohol consumption, although no cause is identified in up to 2 in every 10 cases.
Chronic pancreatitis can usually only be diagnosed by carrying out scans of the pancreas.
Treatment for chronic pancreatitis aims to help control the condition and reduce any symptoms.
The damage to your pancreas due to chronic pancreatitis means that further problems are relatively common.
Stephanie Atts was diagnosed with pancreatitis when she was 24. She has given up drinking, but the condition still causes her pain.