Acute Pancreatitis Symptoms

Pancreas is an important organ in the body of vertebrates. It secretes several hormones and digestive enzymes necessary for the proper functioning of the digestive system. Disorder in the functioning of pancreas leads to a disease called pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is classified into two categories, acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis. Acute pancreatitis is a disease characterized by sudden inflammation of the pancreas. Extreme acute pancreatitis results in complications and sometimes even death despite undergoing treatments.

On the other hand, doctors have been successful in curing mild acute pancreatitis. United States has more than 200,000 people admitted in hospitals on account acute pancreatitis. Excess consumption of alcohol and the presence of gallstones are said to be the most common causes of acute pancreatitis. Infections, hereditary problems in the pancreas and tumors are some of its other causes. Acute pancreatitis has many adverse effects on the body. The symptoms of acute pancreatitis are discussed below.

Acute Pancreatitis Symptoms

Initially, acute pancreatitis causes sudden mild pain in the upper abdominal area. This mild pain tends to worsen after meals. Severe abdominal pain is found to last for a long time. Symptoms of acute pancreatitis seen in a person suffering from the disease are listed below.

Nausea
Nausea which is characterized by a feeling of uneasiness in the stomach and vomiting is observed in people suffering from acute pancreatitis.

Rise in Body Temperature
Acute pancreatitis also causes fever, which leads to an increase in the internal body temperature. This further might result in rise in heart beats and shivering.

Excretion of Fats in Feces
Symptom such as the excretion of excess of fat through feces has also been observed in a person suffering from acute pancreatitis. This symptom in medical terms is known as steatorrhea.

Jaundice
Acute pancreatitis has been found to cause jaundice which leads to yellowish discoloration of the skin. However, this is not a common symptom as it is noticed scarcely in patients.

Dehydration
Dehydration is loss of water from the body in excessive amounts. This symptom is generally observed in the cases of severe acute pancreatitis.

Low Blood Pressure
Severe acute pancreatitis can result in low blood pressure. Extreme cases of low blood pressure might cause a person to become unconscious.

Other symptoms found in the patients of acute pancreatitis are headache, heart, lung or kidney failure. Sometimes, pancreas start bleeding which can prove fatal for the person.

Cure for Acute Pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is cured by keeping the person under observation for some days. To reduce and stop the pain, the person is administered doses of antibiotics. Drinking and eating is prohibited until the pain is fully cured. This gives rest to the pancreas. Acute pancreatitis of a mild nature is said to be cured within some days, but severe acute pancreatitis takes some time to cure due to increase in the complications. In such cases, the person is fed with a special liquid through a long and thin tube inserted into the stomach through the nose and throat.

Some of the symptoms of acute pancreatitis are indeed very dangerous as they can be fatal for the patient. Today, though medical science can cure acute pancreatitis, it is always better to prevent it. Some of the preventive measures for acute pancreatitis are, to avoid smoking, follow a low fat diet and most importantly, avoid the consumption of alcohol. All these preventive measures actually work, after all there is a truth to the saying 'Prevention is Better than Cure'.