Why does pancreas hurt

Treatment depends on the severity of the attack. If no kidney or lung complications occur, acute pancreatitis usually improves on its own.

Treatment, in general, is designed to support vital bodily functions and prevent complications. A hospital stay will be necessary so that fluids can be replaced intravenously. Sometimes a person cannot stop vomiting and needs to have a tube placed in the stomach to remove fluid and air.

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. In severe cases, a person may require intravenous feeding for 3 to 6 weeks while the pancreas slowly heals. This process is called total parenteral nutrition. However, for mild cases of the disease, total parenteral nutrition offers no benefit.

Before leaving the hospital, a person will be advised not to drink alcohol and not to eat large meals. After all signs of acute pancreatitis are gone, the doctor will try to decide what caused it in order to prevent future attacks. In some people, the cause of the attack is clear, but in others, more tests are needed. Acute pancreatitis can cause breathing problems. Many people develop hypoxia, which means that cells and tissues are not receiving enough oxygen. Doctors treat hypoxia by giving oxygen through a face mask.

Despite receiving oxygen, some people still experience lung failure and require a ventilator. In mild cases, a person may not eat for 3 or 4 days and instead may receive fluids and pain relievers through an intravenous line. If an infection develops, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics. Surgery may be needed for extensive infections.

Surgery may also be necessary to find the source of bleeding, to rule out problems that resemble pancreatitis, or to remove severely damaged pancreatic tissue. Acute pancreatitis can sometimes cause your kidneys to fail. If this happens, dialysis will be necessary to help your kidneys remove wastes from your blood. Gallstones can cause pancreatitis and they usually require surgical removal.

Ultrasound or a CT scan can detect gallstones and can sometimes give an idea of the severity of the pancreatitis. When gallstone surgery can be scheduled depends on how severe the pancreatitis is. If the pancreatitis is mild, gallstone surgery may proceed within about a week. More severe cases may mean gallstone surgery is delayed for a month or more. After the gallstones are removed and inflammation goes away, the pancreas usually returns to normal.

If injury to the pancreas continues, chronic pancreatitis may develop. Chronic pancreatitis occurs when digestive enzymes attack and destroy the pancreas and nearby tissues, causing scarring and pain. The usual cause of chronic pancreatitis is many years of alcohol abuse, but the chronic form may also be triggered by only one acute attack, especially if the pancreatic ducts are damaged. The damaged ducts cause the pancreas to become inflamed, tissue to be destroyed, and scar tissue to develop.

While common, alcoholism is not the only cause of chronic pancreatitis. The main causes of chronic pancreatitis are:. Damage from alcohol abuse may not appear for many years, and then a person may have a sudden attack of pancreatitis.

In up to 70 percent of adult patients, chronic pancreatitis appears to be caused by alcoholism. This form is more common in men than in women and often develops between the ages of 30 and Most people who have acute or chronic pancreatitis usually experience middle-left upper abdominal pain as their primary symptom.

Some people who have chronic pancreatitis may show inflammation on diagnostic imaging scans, but they may show no symptoms otherwise. People who have chronic pancreatitis may also experience steatorrhea , which is fatty stools that give off a foul odor. Steatorrhea can be a sign of malabsorption. Acute and chronic pancreatitis share many of the same causes. These include :. High levels of calcium or triglycerides a type of fat in the blood can also lead to chronic pancreatitis.

Gallstones are the most common cause of acute pancreatitis. Gallstones are small, solid masses that form from bile, a fluid that helps with digestion. A large enough gallstone can get stuck at the junction where the main pancreatic duct and the common bile duct come together. These ducts empty into the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine. The pancreatic duct carries digestive enzymes from the pancreas.

The common bile duct carries bile or other substances from the liver and the gallbladder. A stuck gallstone can cause a backup of these substances, leading to inflammation in both the common bile duct and the pancreas. Several factors increase your risk of developing pancreatitis.

A combination of risk factors, like smoking and having a family history of pancreatitis, increases your chances of getting pancreatitis. Smoking or drinking alcohol may also increase the risk of acute pancreatitis developing into chronic pancreatitis.

Some people may develop complications from pancreatitis. It can cause pseudocysts to form when tissue and other debris collect on your pancreas. These may go away by themselves. If they rupture, it can cause infection and bleeding that can be fatal if untreated. Your doctor will likely use a combination of blood tests and imaging studies to make a diagnosis. Blood tests may show a significant rise in your level of pancreatic enzymes.

Different types of ultrasound , MRI , and CT scans can reveal the anatomy of your pancreas, signs of inflammation, and information about the biliary and pancreatic ducts. If you need help finding a primary care doctor or gastroenterologist , you can browse doctors in your area through the Healthline FindCare tool. Treatment for acute or chronic pancreatitis often involves hospitalization.

The pancreas is a key contributor to your digestive processes and needs to rest to heal. For this reason, you may receive specifically tailored fluids and nutrition intravenously IV or through a tube that goes from your nose directly into your stomach.

This is called a nasogastric feeding tube. Medication may help manage the pain. Restarting an oral diet depends on your condition.

Some people feel better after a couple of days. Other people need a week or two to heal sufficiently. If your doctor diagnoses gallstones, surgery to remove the gallbladder may help. Surgery can also remove diseased parts of your pancreas. The pancreatic function test, also called the secretin stimulation test, shows whether your pancreas is responding normally to secretin. Secretin is a hormone that causes your pancreas to release a fluid that helps digest food.

During the test, your doctor will run a tube through your nose or throat and down into your small intestine. Your doctor will send the fluid to a lab to help diagnose pancreatitis or other conditions affecting your pancreas. Learn what to do to prepare for a pancreatic function test. People with chronic pancreatitis in particular need to monitor the amount of fat they consume, since their pancreas function has become compromised.

Try to limit or avoid the following foods :. Eat small meals throughout the day to put less stress on your digestive system.

Stick to foods that are high in protein and antioxidants. The most common symptoms are upper abdominal pain and diarrhea. As the disease becomes more chronic, patients can develop malnutrition and weight loss.

If the pancreas becomes destroyed in the latter stages of the disease, patients may develop diabetes mellitus. The most common cause of chronic pancreatitis in the United States is chronic alcohol consumption. Additional causes include cystic fibrosis and other hereditary disorders ofthe pancreas.

For a significant percentage of patients there is no known cause. More research is needed to determine other causes of the disease. The treatment for chronic pancreatitis depends on the symptoms. Most therapies center on pain management and nutritional support. Oral pancreatic enzyme supplements are used to aid in the digestion of food. Patients who develop diabetes require insulin to control blood sugar. The avoidance of alcohol is central to therapy. For more information on chronic pancreatitis, please visit here.

In some cases, pancreatitis is related to inherited abnormalities of the pancreas or intestine. Acute recurrent attacks of pancreatitis early in life under age 30 can often progress to chronic pancreatitis. The most common inherited disorder that leads to chronic pancreatitis is cystic fibrosis.

Recent research demonstrates genetic testing can be a valuable tool in identifying patients predisposed to hereditary pancreatitis. As in chronic pancreatitis, hereditary pancreatitis is a progressive disease with a high risk of permanent problems.