Acute pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis: Introduction
Acute pancreatitis is a serious disease of the pancreas, an organ and gland in the upper abdominal area. It is characterized by a sudden and severe inflammation of the pancreas and can be life-threatening and led to other serious complications.
The pancreas produces and secretes digestive enzymes that help to digest food. These enzymes flow from the pancreas through the pancreatic duct into the small intestine, where they become active and break down food. In pancreatitis, inflammation causes these digestive enzymes to become active while still in the pancreas where they begin to digest the pancreas itself.
Acute pancreatitis is often caused by alcohol abuse or gallstones. Less commonly it may also be caused by a reaction to medications, abdominal trauma, pancreatic cancer, duodenal ulcer, genetic deformities of the pancreas, and other conditions.
This process leads to the symptoms of acute pancreatitis that typically includes severe abdominal pain. People with acute pancreatitis are also at risk for developing chronic pancreatitis. Other complications of acute pancreatitis include diabetes, malabsorption, hemorrhage, and organ failure, which can be serious, even life threatening, and result in additional symptoms. For more details on symptoms, refer to symptoms of acute pancreatitis.
Making a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis begins with taking a thorough medical history, including symptoms and history of alcohol use. A physical examination is also performed, which usually reveals severe tenderness of the upper abdomen.
Diagnostic testing includes blood tests to measure the amount of chemicals called lipase and amylase in the blood. Levels of amylase and lipase can be very high in acute pancreatitis.
Imaging tests may include an abdominal ultrasound and CT scan, which can reveal gallstones, one of the causes of pancreatitis. CT scan may also show damage or calcification of the pancreas, a sign of chronic pancreatitis. Other tests that help to visualize the pancreas and related structures, such as the bile ducts and the gallbladder, include endoscopic ultrasound and MRI.
It is possible that a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis can be missed because symptoms may be attributed to other conditions with similar symptoms. For more information on misdiagnosis, refer to misdiagnosis of acute pancreatitis.
The treatment for acute pancreatitis involves a multifaceted approach. Treatment plans vary depending on the severity of the symptoms, the presence of complications, and an individual's medical history. Acute pancreatitis is treated in the hospital and includes the intravenous administration of antibiotics, fluids, and pain medications, and monitoring for the development of complications. For more information on treatment, refer to treatment of acute pancreatitis....more »
Acute pancreatitis: Introduction
Acute pancreatitis: sudden inflammation of the pancreas.
See free access online books about Acute pancreatitis below.
See detailed information below for a list of 78
causes of Acute pancreatitis, including diseases and drug side effect causes.
» Review Causes of Acute pancreatitis:
full list
Acute pancreatitis: Misdiagnosis
A diagnosis of acute pancreatitis may be delayed or missed because some symptoms, such as abdominal pain, weight loss, nausea, and diarrhea can attributed to many other conditions as such as gastroenteritis, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, or peptic ulcer. It is important to seek prompt medical care if you experience any symptoms of acute ...more »
Causes of Acute pancreatitis:
The following medical conditions are some of the possible
causes of Acute pancreatitis.
There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor
about your symptoms.
See full list of 78
causes of Acute pancreatitis
» Review Causes of Acute pancreatitis:
full list
Common Causes of Acute pancreatitis
Home Diagnostic Testing and Acute pancreatitis
Home medical tests possibly related to Acute pancreatitis:
Acute pancreatitis: Symptom Checker
Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Acute pancreatitis, as listed in our database.
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Symptom Checker combinations related to Acute pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis Treatments
The goal of treatment of acute pancreatitis is to control symptoms, such as abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting, and minimize the secretion of digestive enzymes to allow the pancreas to heal. Treatment also aims to prevent the development of serious complications, such as chronic pancreatitis, malabsorption, and malnutrition, kidney ...Acute pancreatitis Treatments
Some of the possible treatments listed in sources for treatment of Acute pancreatitis may include:
- Adequate rehydration
- Analgesia
- Pancreatic rest and to restore normal metabolic homeostasis
- Surgical management rrarely needed
- Longitudinal pancreaticojejunostomy
- Distal pancreatectomy with Roux-en-Y pancreaticojejunostomy
- more treatments...»
Review further information on Acute pancreatitis Treatments.
Videos for Acute pancreatitis
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Acute pancreatitis: Animations
More Acute pancreatitis animations & videos
Causes of General Symptom Types
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Causes of Similar Symptoms to Acute pancreatitis
Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Acute pancreatitis:
In-Depth Reports: Diagnosis and Misdiagnosis
Diabetes diagnosis and misdiagnosis (In-Depth Report): Detailed report on diabetes misdiagnoses, rare curable types, and
less common diagnostic issues....read full report »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Acute pancreatitis
Misdiagnosis and Acute pancreatitis
Metabolic syndrome often undiagnosed: Metabolic syndrome, also known as Syndrome X, is
an often overlooked medical condition that causes a cluster of chronic symptoms.
There are often four symptoms and conditions combined: obesity, ...read more »
Heart attacks can be undiagnosed: Although the most severe symptoms of heart attack are hard to miss,
there are varying degrees of severity.
It is altogether too common for people to die from undiagnosed heart attack, or from delaying too long
to call for...read more »
Heart attacks can be overdiagnosed: Although many people die from heart attacks, there are also
many cases where people fear that they have a heart attack, but actually...read more »
Cluster of diseases with difficult diagnosis issues: There is a well-known list of
medical conditions that are all somewhat difficult to diagnose, and all can present
in a variety...read more »
Chronic digestive conditions often misdiagnosed: When diagnosing chronic symptoms
of the digestive tract, there are a variety of conditions that may...read more »
Intestinal bacteria disorder may be hidden cause: One of the lesser known causes of diarrhea
is an imbalance of bacterial in the gut, sometimes called intestinal imbalance.
The...read more »
Antibiotics often causes diarrhea: The use of antibiotics are very likely
to cause some level of diarrhea in patients.
The reason is that antibiotics kill off not only "bad" bacteria,...read more »
Food poisoning may actually be an infectious disease: Many people who come down
with "stomach symptoms" like diarrhea assume that it's "something I ate" (i.e. food poisoning)....read more »
Mesenteric adenitis misdiagnosed as appendicitis in children: Because appendicitis is one of the
more feared conditions for a child with abdominal pain, it can be over-diagnosed
(it can, of course, also fail to be diagnosed with...read more »
Poorly healing leg rashes a classic sign of chronic disease: Recurring leg rashes,
or poorly healing leg rashes, are a classic sign of undiagnosed diabetes,
particularly of Type 2 diabetes, but also Type 1...read more »
Leg cramps at night a classic sign: The symptom of having leg muscle cramps,
particularly at night, is a classic sign of undiagnosed diabetes.
However, there are also various other causes.
See causes of leg cramps or misdiagnosis of diabetes...read more »
Celiac disease often fails to be diagnosed cause of chronic digestive symptoms: One of the most common chronic digestive
conditions is celiac disease, a malabsorption disorder with a variety of symptoms (see ...read more »
Obesity-related conditions undiagnosed in children: A variety of conditions
are associated with obesity (see obesity), but these tend to be...read more »
Chronic digestive diseases hard to diagnose: There is an inherent
difficulty in diagnosing the various types of chronic digestive diseases.
Some of the better known possibilities are ...read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Acute pancreatitis
Diagnostic Guides for Acute pancreatitis
Medical Books Excerpts
Read excertps from published book sections related to Acute pancreatitis
from the following published medical books
for more detailed information about Acute pancreatitis.
Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Acute pancreatitis
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Acute pancreatitis: Research Related Doctors & Specialists
- Diabetes & Endocrinology Specialists:
- Cholesterol Specialists:
- Cardiac (Heart) Specialists:
- Digestive Health Specialists (Gastroenterology):
- more specialists...»
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Hospitals & Clinics: Acute pancreatitis
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for hospitals, clinics and medical facilities in health specialties related to Acute pancreatitis:
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Acute pancreatitis: Related Rare Diseases
Rare types of medical conditions and diseases in related medical categories:
Acute pancreatitis: Self Assessment Tools
Acute pancreatitis: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers
Products, offers and promotion categories available related to Acute pancreatitis:
Acute pancreatitis: Medical Mistakes
Acute pancreatitis: Undiagnosed Conditions
Conditions that are commonly undiagnosed in related areas may include:
Causes of Acute pancreatitis listed in Disease Database:
Other medical conditions listed in the Disease Database as possible
causes of Acute pancreatitis as a symptom include:
See full list of 78
causes of Acute pancreatitis
- (Source - Diseases Database)
Detailed list of causes of Acute pancreatitis
The list below shows some of the causes of Acute pancreatitis mentioned in various sources:
See full list of 78
causes of Acute pancreatitis
How Common are these Causes of Acute pancreatitis?
This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases,
not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Acute pancreatitis.
Of the 78
causes of Acute pancreatitis that
we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:
- 3
causes are "very common" diseases
- 3
causes are "common" diseases
- 0
causes are "uncommon" diseases
- 1
causes are "rare" diseases
- 3
causes are "very rare" diseases
- 71
causes have no prevalence information.
See the analysis of the prevalence of 78
causes of Acute pancreatitis
Conditions listing symptoms: Acute pancreatitis:
The following list of conditions
have 'Acute pancreatitis' or similar
listed as a symptom in our database.
This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete.
Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause
of any symptom.
L
Conditions listing complications: Acute pancreatitis:
The following list of conditions
have 'Acute pancreatitis' or similar
listed as a complication in our database.
The distinction between a symptom and complication is not always clear,
and conditions mentioning this symptom as a complication may also be relevant.
This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete.
Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause
of any symptom.
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Causes of Acute pancreatitis Based on Risk Factors
This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Acute pancreatitis based
on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient:
Diabetes - history of diabetes or family history of diabetes?
Classifications of Acute pancreatitis:
Medical Conditions associated with Acute pancreatitis:
Pancreas symptoms (178 causes), Upper abdominal symptoms (2311 causes), Abdominal symptoms (5477 causes), Digestive system symptoms (4935 causes), Inflammatory symptoms (1159 causes), Infection-related symptoms (775 causes)
Symptoms related to Acute pancreatitis:
Abdominal pain (2149 causes), Vomiting (2599 causes), Infection (775 causes), Serum amylase, Drugs, Mumps, Gall stones (11 causes), Alcoholism
Medical articles on signs and symptoms:
Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:
These general medical articles may be of interest:
See full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
Evidence Based Medicine Research for Acute pancreatitis
Medical research papers related to Acute pancreatitis include:
Research More Evidence-Based Medicine at TripDatabase.com
Related medical articles from our Disease Center for Acute Pancreatitis:
More Ways To Research Medical Signs and Symptoms:
» Next page: Causes of Acute pancreatitis
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