How does gallstones cause pancreatitis

Gallstones pass through the common bile duct to enter the small intestine. At the entry of the small intestine, the main pancreatic duct joins or lies immediately next to the common bile duct. It is believed that stones that get stuck in the common bile duct impinge on the main pancreatic duct, causing an obstruction of the normal flow of pancreatic fluid and leading to pancreatic injury. Another way that a stone can cause pancreatitis is by causing a backflow of bile into the pancreatic duct, resulting in pancreatic injury.

Whereas the actual mechanism of how gallstones cause pancreatitis is not entirely certain, the association of gallstones and pancreatitis is clear. Most of the time this will let the pancreas irritation improve in a few days.

You can start eating and drinking again when your belly pain improves. If you have really bad pancreatitis, you may need to take your food through a tube or your vein until it gets better. Your doctor will give you pain medications to make the pain better, while the irritation improves. If you have a gallstone stuck, then you may need to have this removed to prevent worsening of the pancreas irritation or infection of your bile ducts.

This can be done with a scope test but sometimes needs surgery. There is a chance that the stone could pass on its own and you might not need anything done. If the pancreatitis is really bad part of the pancreas can die and cause what is called pancreatic necrosis.

Digestive Health Topics A-Z. They can sometimes trigger acute pancreatitis if they move out of the gallbladder and block the opening of the pancreas. It's not fully understood how alcohol causes the pancreas to become swollen inflamed. One theory is that it causes enzymes inside the pancreas to start digesting it.

Binge drinking — drinking a lot of alcohol in a short period of time — is also thought to increase your risk of developing acute pancreatitis.