Pancreatitis can occur as acute pancreatitis — meaning it appears suddenly and lasts for days. Some people develop chronic pancreatitis, which is pancreatitis that occurs over many years.
Chronic Pancreatitis Causes
Hereditary pancreatitis may be present in someone under 30 years old but may go undiagnosed for several years. Brief periods of abdominal pain and diarrhea may come and go and eventually lead to chronic pancreatitis.
Prognosis in chronic pancreatitis
The overall 10-year and 20-year survival rates are estimated to be about 70% and 45%, respectively. For some people, a diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis can mean a lifetime of pain and gastrointestinal symptoms.
If a person with chronic pancreatitis drinks alcohol and smokes they will likely have a poorer life expectancy. However, up to 80 percent of people with chronic pancreatitis will have a life expectancy of at least 10 years after the initial diagnosis.
The most common cause of chronic pancreatitis is drinking a lot of alcohol over a long period of time.. Other causes include: An attack of acute pancreatitis that damages your pancreatic ducts. A blockage of the main pancreatic duct caused by cancer.
The average age of onset for chronic pancreatitis is in the mid 40s to 50s, but there is an early-onset form (as in Michelle) that shows up in the late teens or early 20s. Sadly, the average time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis is about 5 years.
Up to 80% of chronic pancreatitis patients will live at least ten years past their diagnosis.
Chronic pancreatitis can affect people of any age, but is most common in middle-aged men aged between 45 and 54.
People with mild acute pancreatitis usually start to get better within a week and experience either no further problems, or problems that get better within 48 hours. Many people are well enough to leave hospital after a few days.
Each case of chronic pancreatitis is different — treatment depends on the cause, extent of the disease and the overall health of the patient. Fortunately, new treatments like islet cell transplants are being developed to help people live without the pain and disability of chronic pancreatitis.
CONCLUSION: Acute pancreatitis is easy to recur even during treatment. The factors such as changes of pancreas structure and uncontrolled systemic inflammatory reaction are responsible for the recurrence of acute pancreatitis. Early refeeding increases the recurrence of acute pancreatitis.
Overall, CT remains the best screening tool for detection of chronic pancreatitis and exclusion of other intra-abdominal pathology that may be indistinguishable from chronic pancreatitis based on clinical symptoms.
Typically, the inflammatory condition is diagnosed when patients present with abdominal pain and have some form of imaging. However, even after a CT scan, MRI, and endoscopic ultrasound, the findings may not confirm a diagnosis.
It usually builds up quickly (over a few hours) and may last for several days. The pain can become severe and is typically felt spreading through to the back. The pain may be sudden and intense, or it may begin as a mild pain that is aggravated by eating and slowly grows worse.
Acute pancreatitis is a self-limiting condition. In most instances, the pancreas heals itself and normal pancreatic functions of digestion and sugar control are restored.
In severe cases, pancreatitis can be life-threatening. If you have severe abdominal (tummy) pain that lasts for more than 20 minutes, call your doctor or visit the emergency department of your local hospital. Pancreatitis can be either acute (sudden onset) or chronic (ongoing and longer-term).
Patients with severe acute pancreatitis have an average hospital stay of two months, followed by a lengthy recovery period.
In severe cases, acute pancreatitis can cause bleeding, serious tissue damage, infection, and cysts. Severe pancreatitis can also harm other vital organs such as the heart, lungs, and kidneys. Chronic pancreatitis is long-lasting inflammation. It most often happens after an episode of acute pancreatitis.
Mild acute pancreatitis has a very low mortality rate (less than 1 percent),1,2 whereas the death rate for severe acute pancreatitis can be 10 to 30 percent depending on the presence of sterile versus infected necrosis.
Pancreatitis has two stages — acute and chronic. Chronic pancreatitis is a more persistent condition. Most cases of acute pancreatitis are mild and involve a short hospital stay for the pancreas to recover. Acute pancreatitis occurs suddenly after the pancreas is damaged.
The most common symptoms of acute pancreatitis include: suddenly getting severe pain in the centre of your tummy (abdomen) feeling or being sick. a high temperature of 38C or more (fever)
The main symptom of pancreatitis is pain felt in the upper left side or middle of the abdomen. The pain: May be worse within minutes after eating or drinking at first, more commonly if foods have a high fat content.