Acute pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis is a serious condition where the pancreas becomes inflamed over a short period of time. The pancreas is a small organ located behind the stomach and below the ribcage.
Most people with acute pancreatitis improve within a week and experience no further problems, but severe cases can have serious complications and can even be fatal.
Acute pancreatitis is different to Pancreatitis, chronic , where the inflammation of the pancreas persists for many years.
The most common symptoms of acute pancreatitis include:
If this isn't possible, contact NHS111 or your local out-of-hours service for advice.
It's thought that acute pancreatitis occurs when a problem develops with some of the enzymes (chemicals) in the pancreas, which causes them to try to digest the organ.
Acutepancreatitisis most often linked to:
By reducing your alcohol intake and altering your diet to make gallstones less likely, you canhelp to reduce your chances of developing acute pancreatitis.
However, one in five cases are severe andcan result in life-threatening complications, such asmultiple organ failure.
In severe cases where complications develop, there's a high risk of the condition being fatal. In England, just over 1,000 people die from acute pancreatitis every year.
If a person survives the effects of severe acute pancreatitis, it's likely to be several weeks or months before they're well enough to leave hospital.
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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>