Pancreatitis Symptoms
Pancreatitis symptoms include pain in the abdomen, nausea, vomiting, fever,
and a rapid pulse. Acute pancreatitis occurs suddenly and lasts for a short period of time and usually resolves. Chronic pancreatitis does not resolve itself and results in a slow destruction of the pancreas. Either form can cause serious complications. In severe cases, bleeding, tissue damage, and infection may occur. Pancreatitis
Symptoms
Acute pancreatitis usually begins with pain in the upper abdomen that may last for a few days. The pain may be severe and may become
constant, just in the abdomen, or it may reach to the back and other areas. It may be sudden and intense or begin as a mild pain that gets worse when food is eaten. Someone with acute pancreatitis often looks and feels very sick.
Other symptoms may include:
- fever
- swollen and tender abdomen
- nausea
- rapid pulse
- vomiting
Severe cases may cause dehydration and low blood pressure. The heart, lungs, or kidneys may fail. If bleeding occurs in the pancreas, shock and sometimes even death follow. Chronic
Pancreatitis Symptoms
Most people with chronic pancreatitis have abdominal pain, although some people have no pain at all. The pain may get worse when eating or drinking, spread to the back, or become constant and disabling. In certain cases, abdominal pain goes away as the condition advances, probably because the pancreas is no longer making digestive enzymes. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and fatty stools.
People with chronic disease often lose weight, even when their appetite and eating habits are normal. The weight loss occurs because the body does not secrete enough pancreatic enzymes to break down food, so nutrients are not absorbed normally. Poor digestion leads to excretion of fat, protein, and sugar into the stool. If the insulin-producing cells of the
pancreas, islet cells, have been damaged, diabetes may also develop at this stage. A
doctor may prescribe pancreatic enzymes or recommend a potent pharmaceutical
grade digestive
enzyme supplement to take with meals if the pancreas does not secrete enough
of its own. The enzymes should be taken with every meal to help the body digest
food and regain some weight. Sometimes insulin or other drugs are needed to
control blood glucose. Pancreatitis
Symptoms to P
|
