How to recognize pancreatitis and how to treat it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

In mild cases, a few days in the hospital are enough, in severe cases, an operation cannot be avoided.

Pancreatitis Pancreatitis. Symptoms and Causes is inflammation of the pancreas. The disease is not that frequent: up to 100 cases The problem of acute pancreatitis in the Krasnoyarsk Territory for every 100 thousand of the population.

Nevertheless, for a long time in Russia, acute pancreatitis was the first. Acute pancreatitis E-01-01-004-2.0-2019 in the list of causes of "acute abdomen" - that is, severe pain, because of which people are forced to call an ambulance. Today, inflammation of the pancreas has given way to acute appendicitis. However, the disease is still dangerous: about 3 people out of every 100 who seek help die.

Therefore, it is so important to be able to recognize the inflammation of the pancreas in time and not to miss the possible development of complications.

When you need to urgently seek help

Dial 103 or 112 immediately if Symptoms & Causes of Pancreatitis 'acute abdomen' symptoms are present:

• severe sharp pain in the stomach area (in the upper abdomen, approximately in the center), which increases over time;
• nausea or vomiting;
• fever, chills;
• accelerated heartbeat;
• dyspnea;
• yellowish color of the skin or the whites of the eyes.

Such signs indicate that the inflammation has reached a serious scale and may have affected neighboring organs - the gallbladder, liver, kidneys. This is deadly.

In the event that there are no symptoms of "acute abdomen", but suspicions of pancreatitis remain, you can understand further.

What are the causes of pancreatitis

Unlike many other inflammatory processes, inflammation of the pancreas is not caused by viruses or bacteria.

The pancreas is located under the stomach and plays an important role in digestion: it produces the hormone insulin and enzymes necessary for the digestion of food. Normally, they immediately enter the intestines, but sometimes they can linger in the pancreas.

If a lot of digestive enzymes accumulate, they damage the cells of the gland. This is how Pancreatitis begins. Symptoms and Causes inflammation.

Stagnation of enzymes in the pancreas is caused by various causes. Definition & Facts for Pancreatitis.

• Alcohol abuse. This is the most common problem of acute pancreatitis in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, a factor leading to the development of acute pancreatitis.
• Gallstones. They can block, among other things, the ducts through which digestive enzymes move.
• Obesity.
• Smoking.
• A variety of trauma to the pancreas, including surgery (for example, associated with the removal of stones from the gallbladder).
• High blood calcium levels.
• Autoimmune diseases.

In some cases, the cause of pancreatitis cannot be established.

What is pancreatitis

Depending on how active the inflammation is and how long it lasts, there are two types of Definition & Facts for Pancreatitis of pancreatitis:

• Spicy. It occurs suddenly and can go away by itself as soon as the stagnation of enzymes stops. But it can develop into a life-threatening condition.
• Chronic. Appears after repeated attacks of acute pancreatitis, which goes away on its own, without treatment. The tissue of the pancreas is destroyed due to enzymatic attacks and becomes scarred. The excretion of enzymes is impaired. The inflammation becomes chronic. There is a high risk that one day it will develop into a severe form of acute pancreatitis.

What are the symptoms of pancreatitis

Each type of pancreatic inflammation has its own symptoms of Pancreatitis. Symptoms and Causes.

Symptoms of acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is usually Symptoms & Causes of Pancreatitis that begins after eating, with pain:

• appears in the upper abdomen, closer to the center;
• sometimes gives to the back, it seems as if it is encircling;
• occurs suddenly or increases gradually;
• it can be both strong and aching, quite bearable;
• can last for several days.

If the inflammation grows and becomes dangerous, additional symptoms appear: nausea, vomiting, fever and other signs of an "acute abdomen", which we wrote about above.

Chronic pancreatitis symptoms

First of all - regular aching pain in the upper abdomen. It is rarely strong, and in some cases it is so light that people do not pay attention to it at all.

Chronic pancreatitis may have no symptoms at all until complications arise.

However, quite often there are characteristic signs:

• regular and seemingly inexplicable nausea;
• frequent diarrhea;
• fatty, foul-smelling stools (steatorrhea);
• weight loss despite the fact that neither lifestyle nor diet has changed.

What to do if you suspect pancreatitis

Any regular abdominal pain, especially if it is accompanied by other symptoms (nausea, digestive disorders) is a reason to go to a therapist or gastroenterologist. This is important for a number of reasons.

First, it may not be pancreatitis at all. What exactly hurts in the stomach, only a specialist will find out after the examination. And the options are multifaceted - from dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome or gastritis to developing cancer.

Secondly, if we are talking about pancreatitis, it should never be started. Even if the pain in the abdomen appears only occasionally and seems to be minor. Without treatment, pancreatitis can be Pancreatitis. Symptoms and Causes provoke other conditions, sometimes very serious and even deadly.

• Diabetes. In the pancreas damaged by inflammation, insulin production is disrupted, which becomes a trigger for the development of diabetes.
• Pseudocysts. Due to acute pancreatitis, fluid can accumulate in one or more alveoli of the pancreas (in this case, they speak of the formation of a cyst-like "pocket"). The rupture of a large pseudocyst can lead to internal bleeding and cause peritonitis.
• Renal failure Acute pancreatitis can lead to inflammation and severe kidney damage.
• Breathing problems. Due to the fact that the pancreas is also responsible for the production of certain hormones, its damage can cause changes in the body that affect the functioning of the lungs.
• Pancreas cancer.

How to treat pancreatitis

First you need to clarify the diagnosis. The doctor will conduct an examination, ask about the symptoms, the time of onset of pain, and suggest passing some Pancreatitis tests. Diagnosis and Treatment. Usually this:

• Blood tests. They will help confirm inflammation and detect elevated levels of pancreatic enzymes.
• Stool analysis. This test measures the amount of fat in the stool. The procedure is lengthy and takes up to 72 hours. It is prescribed to confirm chronic pancreatitis.
• Ultrasound or computed tomography (CT) of the abdominal organs. The purpose of the research is to assess the degree of inflammation of the pancreas, as well as to detect stones in the gallbladder (if any).
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Its task is to identify pathologies of the gallbladder, pancreas or bile ducts.

Treatment depends on the form of the disease.

Acute pancreatitis treatment

Only in a hospital Acute pancreatitis: modern concepts of etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment. Therapy includes Treatment for Pancreatitis:

• Starvation. This is important to turn off digestion and give the pancreas a chance to rest and recover. Nutrition, if necessary, is administered intravenously.
• Prevention of dehydration. The patient is given a dropper with saline.
• Hypothermia. A cold compress (such as an ice pack) is applied to the stomach area to reduce pain and inflammation.
• Taking painkillers, antispasmodics.
• Sometimes antibiotics. They are prescribed in the event that tissue necrosis has begun and bacterial inflammation has joined the pancreatitis.

Mild acute pancreatitis in such conditions disappears in a few days. In severe cases, surgery may be required: the surgeon will remove gallstones or dead tissue from the pancreas.

Chronic pancreatitis treatment

The main task is to reduce pain, improve the functioning of the pancreas and prevent complications. To solve it, the doctor may prescribe:

• medications, such as enzyme pills, that will reduce the stress on the pancreas;
• vitamins, most often A, D, E and K, which are closely related to digestion;
• surgery if gallstones are found that can block the ducts, or if part of the pancreas is permanently damaged.

In addition, the gastroenterologist will advise you to follow a diet, give up spicy and fried foods, and bake, boil or steam most dishes.

How to prevent pancreatitis

This is what Treatment for Pancreatitis is recommended by doctors for the prevention of pancreatic diseases.

• Limit your alcohol intake.
• Try to quit smoking.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Eat a balanced diet: less sugar (including sugary drinks), more foods high in fiber. Such a diet will reduce the risk of developing gallstones, which are one of the leading causes of acute pancreatitis.