Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. A gland that is located behind the stomach and whose main function is to help break down food and hormones to control blood sugar levels.
The pancreatitis It is the most frequent cause of hospital admission for diseases of the heart and usually appears suddenly.
According to the (FEAD), it has a “high” incidence in the population: 50-80 cases per 100,000 inhabitants/year.
As the doctor explains Francisco Jose Garcia Fernandeza gastroenterologist at the Virgen del Rocío Hospital in Seville, “it is a disease with an unpredictable and potentially serious evolution.”
Pancreatitis requires hospital admission. The resolution of the clinical picture occurs several days after the onset of symptoms “with fairly simple measures”
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“It is necessary to monitor the presence of complications, which can occur in up to 20% of cases. It has a global mortality of 5%, but in severe forms it can reach more than 30%”.
Pancreatitis can manifest in two clinical modes.
On the one hand, mild pancreatitis, which is one that occurs with minimal organ dysfunction and the patient’s recovery occurs without any setbacks.
On the other, severe or acute pancreatitis. In this case, it is associated with a organic failure and that can trigger other complications such as necrosis (part of the pancreas is destroyed due to its inflammation), abscess or pseudocyst.
Symptoms and causes of pancreatitis
The most characteristic symptom of this disease is abdominal pain, It is located in the upper abdomen, just below the breastbone.
A bone that sits in the front and center of the chest wall and is attached to the clavicle and the first seven ribs.
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“It is typical for the pain to remain for the first few days and to be relieved by leaning the trunk forward. Some patients may present milder pain and only 5-10% of patients do not have pain”, indicates the doctor Susana Jimenez Contrerasof the Vithas Xanit International Hospital, Benalmádena (Málaga).
The cause of pancreatitis will also indicate the location of the pain. If it is due to “stones” in the gallbladder, it is located in the upper right part of the abdomen. Generally, the clinical picture begins after the ingestion of food.
On the other hand, if it is produced by alcohol, it appears between 1 and 3 days after consumption.
In addition to abdominal pain, unlike pancreatitis caused by lithiasis (stones in the urinary tract), it is accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
But it is not the only symptom that pancreatitis presents.
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Fever.
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(incrise of cardiac frecuency).
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Nausea.
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vomiting
In selected cases, antibiotics are also administered and if complications appear, endoscopic, radiological and/or surgical treatment can be used.
It can be caused by various causes.
However, as the specialist points out, “gallstones and alcohol consumption are responsible for more than 80% of cases.”
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“Among these other causes, we must highlight: hyperlipidemia (blood lipids), certain drugs, malformations such as pancreas divisum (congenital anomaly), reduced blood flow (ischemia), abdominal trauma, infections, autoimmune pancreatitis or hereditary pancreatitis.”
However, being diagnosed with it greatly increases the chances of suffering from pancreatitis. And backwards.
Chronic pancreatitis can trigger the onset of this disease, whereby the body is unable to regulate blood glucose levels.
Diagnosis and treatment
Abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting, along with fever, are obvious symptoms of a possible case of acute pancreatitis. Therefore, it is necessary to go immediately to the doctor, who will confirm the diagnosis with a blood test.
In addition to an analysis (in which if there is pancreatitis there is an elevation of amylase and lipase in the blood), a abdominal ultrasound.
It is the only way to rule out that the abdominal pain is caused by a gallstone.
The treatment of pancreatitis is adequate hydration.
While the symptoms are ongoing, one should avoid oral intake of food, so that the pancreas “rests”. Of course, if the hospitalization is prolonged in time, intravenous feeding should be administered.
Regarding abdominal pain, it is treated with analgesics. If acute, with opioids.
The doctor Mileidis Sanjuan Acostafrom the Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, Tenerife, specifies that “in selected cases, antibiotics are also administered and if complications appear, endoscopic, radiological and/or surgical treatment can be used.”