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Pancreatitis. By Our February Student Pharmacist, Ericka Panek.

Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. This inflammation is a rare, but serious disease that can either be a short or long term problem.

The pancreas is a small organ associated with digestion and regulatory hormones. The hormone side is responsible for releasing insulin and glucagon, which help your body regulate the amount of sugar in the blood. The digestive side releases enzymes to help the body break down the fats, carbohydrates, and proteins you eat throughout the day.

What causes pancreatitis?

Pancreatitis happens when your body doesn’t release the digestive enzymes correctly, causing them to remain in the pancreas. This can result in the pancreas breaking itself down from the inside. There are two major causes of pancreatitis: gallstones and alcohol.

To remember the causes of acute pancreatitis, use the mnemonic: I GET SMASHED. Each letter stands for a cause of acute pancreatitis. To read what each letter means, go HERE. Also take a look at the chart at the bottom of this posting.

Gallstones are the #1 cause of acute (short term) pancreatitis. Gallstones can get lodged in the duct system that transports the enzymes and fluids from the pancreas to the intestines.

Alcohol is the #1 cause of chronic (long term) pancreatitis. Chronic pancreatitis is a slow developing disease that can be caused over years of excess alcohol use. Alcohol is also the #2 cause of acute pancreatits.

What are the symptoms of pancreatitis?

The most common symptoms of pancreatitis are severe pain in the stomach or abdomen.

For acute pancreatitis, the pain is often a sharp pain that comes on quickly. Other symptoms include nausea and vomiting.

For chronic pancreatitis, symptoms are also abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. These symptoms can be worse after eating. More advanced chronic pancreatitis can also cause weight loss and poor nutrition, since your body cannot break down and absorb the nutrients from the food you eat.

Treatment

Treatment for both acute and chronic pancreatitis requires medical attention. Patients will need IV fluids and nutritional support. Most patients also receive pain medication to help with the abdominal pain. Antibiotics are rarely used and only if there is an infection around the tissue of the pancreas.

Treatment can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on how severe the pancreatitis is. An important part of treating pancreatitis is finding out the cause and working to prevent a reoccurrence. If the cause is due to gallstones, a procedure to remove the gallstones or the gallbladder may be required. If the cause is due to alcohol, counseling and abstinence is required. Similarly with the other causes, other solutions may be available to prevent pancreatitis from happening again.

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