Chronic pancreatitis is a long-term, progressive condition. It doesn't go away and gets worse over time. It happens when the injury or damage to your pancreas never stops. Chronic pancreatitis will eventually do lasting damage to your pancreas, although it may take many years.
Seek care right away for the following symptoms of severe pancreatitis: pain or tenderness in the abdomen that is severe or becomes worse. nausea and vomiting. fever or chills.
Symptoms of Chronic Pancreatitis
The upper abdominal pain may vary in intensity, and flare-ups (bouts or attacks) may last for many hours or several days. Later on in the illness, pain tends to become constant.
Most people with acute pancreatitis improve within a week and experience no further problems, but severe cases can have serious complications and can even be fatal. Acute pancreatitis is different to chronic pancreatitis, where the inflammation of the pancreas persists for many years.
In acute pancreatitis, inflammation develops quickly and subsides within a few days but can last for to a few weeks.
Symptoms of acute pancreatitis can be similar to symptoms of other medical emergencies such as a heart attack. If you or someone in your care has these symptoms, seek immediate medical attention. In some people, there is no pain at all.
The pancreas produces enzymes that help digestion and hormones that help regulate the way your body processes sugar (glucose). 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.
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 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. Becomes constant and more severe, lasting for several days.
In mild cases, a person may not eat for 3 or 4 days and instead may receive fluids and pain relievers through an IV (intravenous) line. Unless the pancreatic duct or bile duct is blocked by gallstones, an acute attack usually lasts only a few days.
Most people with acute pancreatitis get better within a week and are well enough to leave hospital after a few days. Recovery can take longer in severe cases, as some people can develop complications. Read more about treating acute pancreatitis and the possible complications of acute pancreatitis.
The blood test measures levels of pancreatic enzymes in your blood — either amylase or lipase. If your enzyme levels are three times higher than normal, that indicates pancreatitis. Your healthcare providers will follow up on these results with an imaging test to confirm the diagnosis and isolate the cause.
Most people with acute pancreatitis will recover completely in a few days with supportive care: rest, hydration and pain relief. However, a very severe case of acute pancreatitis can cause serious health complications, some of them life-threatening.
It's been described as a burning or shooting pain which comes and goes, but can last for several hours or days, in some cases. Some people also experience symptoms of nausea and vomiting during the pain. As chronic pancreatitis progresses, the painful episodes may become more frequent and severe.
In severe cases, pancreatitis attacks can lead to unintended weight loss and severe dehydration, made worse by the fact that you may not be able to drink water and get rehydrated without vomiting again. If you notice these symptoms, get to an emergency room as soon as possible for treatment.
What is stage 2 pancreatic cancer? Stage 2 cancer means that the cancer may have grown larger. It may have spread to a small number of lymph nodes near the pancreas. It has not spread to large blood vessels near the pancreas.
Patients with early-onset pancreatitis have initially and thereafter a long course of severe pain but slowly develop morphological and functional pancreatic damage, whereas patients with late-onset pancreatitis have a mild and often a painless course.
Severe pain
In some cases, additional medicine – called amitriptyline, gabapentin or pregabalin – may be recommended to help relieve the pain. If this isn't effective, severe pain can sometimes be relieved for a few weeks or months using an injection called a nerve block. This blocks the pain signals from the pancreas.
It is commonly brought on by food consumption and so patients may be afraid to eat. It is also commonly severe through the night. The pain varies in nature, being gnawing, stabbing, aching or burning, but it tends to be constant and not to come and go in waves.
Doctors use ERCP to treat both acute and chronic pancreatitis. ERCP combines upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and x-rays to treat narrowing or blockage of a bile or pancreatic duct. Your gastroenterologist may use ERCP to remove gallstones blocking the bile or pancreatic ducts.
Ultrasound can find gallstones. Computed tomography (CT) scan. CT scans create pictures of your pancreas, gallbladder, and bile ducts. CT scans can show pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer.
Acute pancreatitis is generally temporary, and the person will often fully recover within a few days. On the other hand, pain from chronic pancreatitis may come and go or be consistent for months at a time. While they are different issues, acute pancreatitis may also be a risk factor for chronic pancreatitis.
Can pancreatitis heal itself? 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.