What is pancreatitis?

Answer 1

Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large gland behind the stomach and close to the duodenum. The duodenum is the upper part of the small intestine.

Answer 2

Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large gland behind the stomach and close to the duodenum. The duodenum is the upper part of the small intestine. The pancreas secretes digestive enzymes into the small intestine through a tube called the pancreatic duct. These enzymes help digest fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in food. The pancreas also releases the hormones insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream. These hormones help the body use the glucose it takes from food for energy.

Normally, digestive enzymes do not become active until they reach the small intestine, where they begin digesting food. But if these enzymes become active inside the pancreas, they start "digesting" the pancreas itself.


Acute pancreatitis occurs suddenly and lasts for a short period of time and usually resolves. Chronic pancreatitis does not resolve itself and results in a slow destruction of the pancreas. Either form can cause serious complications. In severe cases, bleeding, tissue damage, and infection may occur. Pseudocysts, accumulations of fluid and tissue debris, may also develop. And enzymes and toxins may enter the bloodstream, injuring the heart, lungs, and kidneys, or other organs.

Answer 3

Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large gland behind the stomach and close to the duodenum. Normally, digestive enzymes do not become active until they reach the small intestine, where they begin digesting food. But if these enzymes become active inside the pancreas, they start "digesting" the pancreas itself.


Acute pancreatitis occurs suddenly and lasts for a short period of time and usually resolves. Chronic pancreatitis does not resolve itself and results in a slow destruction of the pancreas. Either form can cause serious complications. In severe cases, bleeding, tissue damage, and infection may occur. Pseudocysts, accumulations of fluid and tissue debris, may also develop. And enzymes and toxins may enter the bloodstream, injuring the heart, lungs, and kidneys, or other organs.

I hope this helps!

Answer 4

Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large gland which secretes digestive enzymes.These enzymes help digest fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in food. The pancreas also releases the hormones insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream.
A damaged pancreas may become infected with bacteria that spread from the small intestine into the pancreas. Signs of infection include fever, an elevated white blood cell count and, in severe cases, organ failure.
signs and symptoms of pancreatitis are :
pain in your upper abdomen, Nausea and vomiting, Fever, Rapid pulse,Swollen, tender abdomen etc

Answer 5

What is Pancreatitis?

Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large gland behind the stomach. It secretes insulin, which is of fundamental importance in the handling of glucose. If the pancreas is not functioning properly, diabetes may develop.

Another function of the pancreas is to secrete digestive enzymes into the small intestine through a tube called the pancreatic duct. These enzymes help digest fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in food.

In pancreatitis, the enzymes that help digest fats, proteins and carbohydrates in food become active inside the pancreas and start digesting the pancreas.

Symptoms of Pancreatitis?

The symptoms of acute pancreatitis usually begins with severe pain in the upper abdomen. The pain may last for a few days. Some of the other symptoms are: swollen and tender abdomen, sweating, nausea, vomiting, fever, mild jaundice, and rapid pulse.

Types of Pancreatitis?

There are two main typs of pancreatitis: acute and chronic. Acute pancreatitis occurs suddenly and lasts for a short period of time. It ususally resolves. Some people with acute pancreatitis may have more than one attack and recover completely after each. However, acute pancreatitis can be a severe, life-threatening illness with many complications. About 80,000 cases occur in the United States each year. About 20 percent of the cases are severe.

Chronic pancreatitis occurs over a long period of time and does not resolve itself. Chronic pancreatitis results in a slow destruction of the pancreas. 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 result of chronic pancreatitis is an inability to properly digest fat caused by a lack of pancreatic enzymes. The production of insulin is also affected.

What causes Pancreatitis?

Acute pancreatitis is usually caused by drinking too much alcohol or by gallstones. A gallstone can block the pancreatic duct, trapping digestive enzymes in the pancreas and causing pancreatitis.

Chronic pancreatitis occurs when digestive enzymes attack and destroy the pancreas and nearby tissues. Chronic pancratitis is usually caused by many years of alcohol abuse, excess iron in the blood, and other unknown factors. However, it may also be triggered by only one acute attack, especially if the pancreatic ducts are damaged.

Complications of Pancreatitis?

Some of the complications from pancreatitis are: low blood pressure, heart failure, kidney failure, ARDS (adult respiratory distress syndrome), diabetes, ascites, accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, and cysts or abscesses in the pancreas.

Treatments for Pancreatitis?

Treatment depends on how bad the attack is. If no complications in the form of kidney failure or lung problems occur, acute pancreatitis usually improves on its own.

Answer 6

The infection of Pancreas is called Pancreatitis. Pancreas is an endocrine gland that produces two main hormones-
a) Insulin (controles the level of sugar in blood). If this hormone is deficient then Diabetes Mellitus occurs.
b) Glucagon (icreases sugar in blood).
Both these hormones act in tandem controling blood sugar to remain balanced.
Pancreatitis is a serious condition often life-threatening too. The problem can be cured by conservative(no need of surgery) management.

Answer 7

Pancreas is an organ, which checks the sugar in the blood.

Itis means in Greek inflammation so Inflammation of the pancreas is pancreatitis.

Answer 8

Pancreatitis - Topic Overview
What is pancreatitis?

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, an organ that makes the hormones insulin and glucagon. These two hormones help control the body's metabolism. The pancreas also makes other hormones and enzymes that help you digest food.

Inflammation of the pancreas happens when digestive enzymes leak out of the tube (duct) that connects the pancreas to the intestines. The inflammation may develop suddenly (acute pancreatitis) or over many years (chronic pancreatitis). Over time, it can damage and scar the pancreas.
What causes pancreatitis?

Gallstones and alcohol abuse are the most common causes of pancreatitis. Less common causes of pancreatitis are certain infections, high triglycerides, certain medicines, and injury.

Long-term pancreatitis may develop after one attack or after several attacks over many years. Long-term abuse of alcohol causes 70% to 90% of the cases of ongoing pancreatitis in Western countries.1 In some cases, the cause is not known.
What are the symptoms?

An attack of pancreatitis usually causes moderate to severe pain in the upper area of the belly (abdomen). The pain may spread to the back.

Other symptoms of an attack of pancreatitis are:

* Nausea and vomiting.
* Fever.
* Fast heart rate.
* Sweating.
* Yellowing of the skin (jaundice).
* Shock.

Upper abdominal pain is the main symptom of ongoing pancreatitis. You also may have trouble digesting food, which can cause diarrhea and weight loss. In severe cases, if the damaged pancreas no longer makes enough insulin, you can develop diabetes.
How is pancreatitis diagnosed?

A doctor diagnoses pancreatitis by asking questions about your symptoms and past health and by doing a physical exam and tests. You may have blood tests to see whether certain enzymes are higher than normal-signs of possible pancreatitis. Other lab tests may include a complete blood count (CBC), liver tests, and a stool analysis.

Abdominal ultrasound can be used to spot gallstones that may cause pancreatitis. Other imaging tests that might be used include a CT scan and an MRI. A test called endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatogram (ERCP) may be used to help diagnose long-term pancreatitis. It can also be used to remove gallstones that are blocking the common bile duct.
How is it treated?

Most attacks of pancreatitis are treated in the hospital with pain medicine and fluids given through a vein (IV) until the inflammation goes away. If vomiting is severe, you may have a tube placed through your nose and into your stomach to remove fluids and air that can build up in your stomach because of inactivity. This will help make the pancreas less active and inflamed. You may receive antibiotics to prevent infection.

Although most people recover fully from an attack of pancreatitis, complications may develop. These can include bleeding, cysts, infection, or death of pancreatic tissue.

Surgery sometimes is needed to remove the gallbladder or a part of the pancreas that has been damaged.

If you have long-term pancreatitis, it is important that you stop drinking alcohol and follow a low-fat diet. You may have to take insulin if your pancreas has been damaged too much and cannot make enough insulin. In this case, your doctor may prescribe pancreatic enzyme pills to help your body digest fat and protein. You may also take medicines to manage ongoing pain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Learning about pancreatitis:


* What is pancreatitis?
* What causes pancreatitis?
* What are the symptoms of pancreatitis?
* Will pancreatitis come back after it is treated?
* What can I do to keep pancreatitis from coming back?

Being diagnosed:


* How is pancreatitis diagnosed?
* How are bile duct blockages that cause pancreatitis diagnosed?
* How is the level of the enzyme amylase used to diagnose pancreatitis?
* How is the level of the enzyme lipase used to diagnose pancreatitis?
* How is a CT scan used to diagnose pancreatitis and its complications?

Getting treatment:


* How is pancreatitis treated?
* Can pancreatitis be treated with medicine?
* How is the pain of chronic pancreatitis managed?

Answer 9

I know you'll get some very informative responses on this one, much more than I could have told you. But here's an easy one, even I can remember...anytime you see "itis"
attached to a medical term it means "inflamation of", thus Pancreatitis is "inflamation of the pancreas".

Answer 10

Inflammation of the pancreas that results from obstruction of the pancreatic duct. May also be a result of trauma, toxicity from alcohol, infections and drugs.