If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day.

OVERVIEW

What is pancreatitis?

Pancreatitis is inflammation (swelling) of your pancreas. The pancreas is a gland near your stomach and liver. It makes digestive juices, or enzymes. These help you absorb and digest food. Pancreatitis happens when the enzymes damage the pancreas, causing inflammation.

There are 2 types of pancreatitis:

• Acute – only lasts a few days
• Chronic – lasts a long time (up to a few years)

Both types are serious and can cause complications. Pancreatitis can damage your pancreas permanently, but there are medicines that can help control your pain and help you lead a normal life.

SYMPTOMS

What are the symptoms of pancreatitis?

The symptoms of acute pancreatitis include:

• Pain in your upper abdomen that spreads to your back
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Fever
• Rapid heart rate

People who have chronic pancreatitis also experience abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. They may also have the following symptoms:

• High blood sugar levels
• Unintended weight loss
• Diarrhea
• Greasy or oily stools
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes)

Sometimes people with chronic pancreatitis don’t have symptoms until they have complications.  Left untreated, pancreatitis can cause can complications that can be fatal.

CAUSES & RISK FACTORS

What causes pancreatitis?

There are a number of factors that can cause pancreatitis. The most common causes are:

• Gallstones (digestive fluids that become solid and form stones in the gallbladder)
• Heavy alcohol use
• Genetic disorders of the pancreas
• Certain medicines

Other causes include:

• Smoking
• High levels of triglycerides (a type of fat in your blood)
• High levels of parathyroid hormone in the blood (called hyperparathyroidism)
• High levels of calcium in the blood (called hypercalcemia)
• Cancer of the pancreas
• Cystic fibrosis
• A family history of pancreatitis
• Abdominal surgery
• Injury to the abdomen

In some cases, healthcare providers don’t know what causes pancreatitis.

DIAGNOSIS & TESTS

How is pancreatitis diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will do a physical exam and ask you about your symptoms. They may do tests on samples of your blood or stool. They may also do imaging tests to look for inflammation or other signs of pancreatitis. This could include an ultrasound, which uses sound waves to build a picture of what your insides look like. Your healthcare provider may also look at your abdomen using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or a computerized tomography (CT) scan.

PREVENTION

Can pancreatitis be prevented or avoided?

You can’t prevent pancreatitis, but there are steps you can take to reduce the risk that you will develop it. These include:

• Maintain a healthy lifestyle or lose weight, if needed. By keeping your body at a healthy weight, you can make your pancreas work better and reduce some risk factors for pancreatitis. These include gallstones, obesity, and diabetes. Eat a balanced, low-fat diet and exercise regularly.
• Avoid alcohol. Heavy alcohol use is one of the leading causes of both acute and chronic pancreatitis. Talk to your healthcare provider if you need help to stop drinking.
• Don’t smoke. Smoking is a risk factor for pancreatitis. Your risk goes up even more if you smoke and drink alcohol. Talk to your healthcare provider if you need help to stop smoking.

TREATMENT

What is the treatment for pancreatitis?

If you have acute pancreatitis, you may need to stay in the hospital for a few days. There you can get intravenous (IV) fluids, antibiotics and medicine to relieve pain. Most mild cases of pancreatitis clear up with treatment and rest.

If you have a more severe case of pancreatitis, you may need other treatment. This treatment would depend on the cause of the pancreatitis but could include:

• Gallbladder removal. If you have gallstones, you may need to have your gallbladder removed.
• Other procedures. If you have an abscess or pseudocyst that is infected, your doctor may need to drain it. They can remove damaged tissue from your pancreas if that is needed. They can also do other procedures to treat problems with the pancreatic and bile ducts.

If you have chronic pancreatitis, your treatment plan will help relieve pain, improve how well your pancreas works, and manage complications. It may include:

• A low-fat diet
• Medicine to relieve pain
• Insulin to help with high blood sugar levels
• Enzyme tablets (pills that help you digest food)
• Vitamins if your body doesn’t absorb nutrients well

It is also possible that someone with chronic pancreatitis would need surgery. This could help relieve pressure or a blockage in a pancreatic duct. Surgery could also be used to remove a damaged or infected part of your pancreas.

People who have pancreatitis should not drink alcohol or smoke. You may need more tests or even surgery if your pain is chronic or severe. Some people develop diabetes or cancer of the pancreas because of the damage caused by chronic pancreatitis. These conditions need separate treatment.

Living with pancreatitis

Pancreatitis can be an ongoing disease. Your symptoms may get worse or go away for a while, then come back. You may feel depressed, angry or frustrated. Chronic pain may make it hard for you to do your daily activities. Contact your healthcare provider about ways to manage these challenges.

To help manage your pancreatitis, you should:

• Follow your healthcare provider’s instructions carefully.
• Work with your healthcare provider to plan a healthy, low-fat diet.
• Quit smoking and stop drinking alcohol. Contact your healthcare provider about ways to quit.
• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Pancreatitis can cause dehydration.
• If chronic pancreatitis is causing depression, contact your healthcare provider. It may help to take medicine for depression and/or to talk with a counselor about how you feel.
• Develop a list of goals to improve your quality of life, such as sleeping better or exercising. To reduce stress, learn relaxation exercises.