subject: Acute Pancreatitis Causes and Symptoms [print this page] Acute Pancreatitis Causes and Symptoms Acute Pancreatitis Causes and Symptoms
The pancreas is a gland that plays a major role in digestion. It produces digestive hormones and digestive juices. Digestive hormones like glucagon and insulin control the blood sugar level of the body. Digestive juices like bicarbonate and enzymes neutralizes stomach acid and breaks down protein as well as fats in foods in order to be absorbed.
Pancreatitis Causes
There are several causes of pancreatitis. As the gland is inflamed, the blood vessels surrounding can also swell, bleed, get infected and get damaged. When this happens, the digestive juices get trapped inside. Sooner or later they will digest the pancreas itself. Since the gland is now being eaten away, it may no longer be able to do its normal functions.
Acute Pancreatitis pertains to new or short-term inflammation of the pancreas. Chronic Pancreatitis would be the ongoing or long-term inflammation of the pancreas. These two can be very severe, can cause serious complications and can be life threatening.
The main causes of pancreatitis are gallstones and alcohol abuse. However, there are other causes such as:
? Exposure to certain chemicals
? Medications
? Hereditary disease
? Injury or abdominal trauma
? Uncommon infections
? Surgery or certain types of medical procedures
? High fat levels in the blood
? Abnormalities in the intestine or pancreas
Acute Pancreatitis vs. Chronic Pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis usually starts when there is already damage to the pancreas. It can attack mildly or severe. These attacks may last for a very short time and it eventually resolves quickly to return to its normal state. Patients can have one to numerous attacks but the pancreas will always return to normal.
Chronic pancreatitis is a follow up to acute pancreatitis. Since the pancreas is already scarred from acute pancreatitis attacks, it is now unable to return to normal. As the damage to the gland continues, the condition gets worse over time. This type or phase of pancreatitis is more common in men than in women.
Pancreatitis Symptoms
In acute pancreatitis, the symptoms would range from sudden moderate to severe. There is:
? Pain in the upper abdomen (it may be mild but the patient may feel that it is boring from the abdomen to the back. It is only when you sit or lean that the pain seems to lessen)
? Fever
? Vomiting and nausea
? Sweating
? Fast heart rate
? Shock
? Jaundice or yellowing of the whites of the eyes and the skin
