Read more about this disease, some with Classification – Types – Signs and symptoms – Genetics – Pathophysiology – Diagnosis – Screening – Prevention – Treatment and management – Cures and much more, some including pictures and video when available.
Acute pancreatitis is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas. Depending on its severity, it can have severe complications and high mortality despite treatment. While mild cases are often successfully treated with conservative measures, such as NPO (nil by mouth or NBM) and IV fluid rehydration, severe cases may require admission to the ICU or even surgery (often requiring more than one intervention) to deal with complications of the disease process.
The most common symptoms and signs include:
Signs which are less common, and indicate severe disease, include:
Other conditions to consider are:
Although these are common symptoms, they are not always present. Simple abdominal pain may be the sole symptom.
The FDA reported in August, 2008 6 cases of hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis in patients taking Byetta, a diabetes medicine approved in 2005. Two patients died. The FDA previously reported 30 other cases of pancreatitis. Patients taking Byetta should promptly seek medical care if they experience unexplained severe abdominal pain with or without nausea and vomiting. [1]
A common mnemonic for the causes of pancreatitis spells “I get smashed”, an allusion to heavy drinking (one of the many causes):
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