*
Pancreatitis
Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.
Definition
Pancreatitis is a disease in which the pancreas becomes inflamed. The pancreas is a long, flat, pear-shaped organ located behind the stomach. It makes digestive enzymes and hormones, including insulin. In pancreatitis, the digestive enzymes attack the tissue that produces them.
- Acute pancreatitis—occurs suddenly, with severe upper abdominal pain (This can be a serious, life-threatening illness if not treated.)
- Chronic pancreatitis—a progressive disorder that can destroy the pancreas
*
Causes
Causes of pancreatitis include:
- Alcohol abuse (most common cause)
- Gallstones and other obstructions
- Surgery or trauma to the pancreas
- Certain medicines
- Unknown causes (approximately 15% of cases)
- Elevated blood triglyceride levels (hypertriglyceridemia)
- Infections
- HIV infection
- A defective pancreas duct (pancreas divisum)
- Complication of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
*
Risk Factors
A risk factor is something that increases your chance of getting a disease or condition. Risk factors for pancreatitis include:
- Alcohol abuse
- Family history of pancreatitis
- Personal history of previous acute pancreatitis
-
Medicines, including:
- Estrogens
- Sulfonamides
- Tetracyclines
- Thiazides
- Pancreatic cancer
- Hyperlipidemia (excessive levels of fat in the blood)
- Hypercalcemia (increased calcium in the blood)
- Viral infections, such as mumps
*
Symptoms
Symptoms include:
-
Severe pain in the center of the upper abdomen that:
- Sometimes spreads into the upper back
- Is often made worse by eating, walking, or lying down on your back
- Is less severe in chronic pancreatitis, with a gradual onset that may be tolerable for weeks
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin)
- Shock—a severe change in the body's vital tasks (such as, rapid but weak pulse, rapid and shallow respiration, and low blood pressure) (in severe, acute cases)
- Unexplained weight loss
-
Symptoms of
diabetes
:
- Inc