Pancreatitis, acute

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. The main symptom of pancreatitis is abdominal pain, which can often be severe.

The pancreas

The pancreas is a small, leaf-shaped organ that is located behind the stomach and below the ribcage.

The pancreas has two important functions:

• it produces digestive juices that are used by the intestines to help digest food, and
• it produces powerful ‘messenger chemicals’, called hormones, which have an important affect on all the cells in the body.

Insulin is the most important hormone that is produced by the pancreas because it regulates the levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood.

Types of pancreatitis

There are two types of pancreatitis:

• Acute pancreatitis in which the pancreas becomes inflamed over a short period of time. The inflammation passes after a few days.
• Chronic pancreatitis in which the inflammation of the pancreas persists for many years, causing it to become more and more damaged. Chronic pancreatitis can often develop after repeated previous episodes of acute pancreatitis.

This section focuses on acute pancreatitis. See Useful links for more information about chronic pancreatitis.

How common is acute pancreatitis?

Acute pancreatitis is uncommon. The condition is slightly more common in men than it is in women.

In England each year, there are between 5-80 new cases of pancreatitis for every 100,000 people.

Rates of acute pancreatitis have risen significantly over the past 40 years. It is thought that this has been caused by the rise in alcohol misuse, because the excessive consumption of alcohol is a major risk factor for acute pancreatitis, accounting for 36% of all cases.

The other major risk factor for acute pancreatitis is gallstones (lumps of fatty material that can form in the gallbladder). Gallstones account for 38% of all cases of acute pancreatitis.

The average age for the development of alcohol-related acute pancreatitis is 38. The average age for the development of gallstone-related acute pancreatitis is 69.

Outlook

The outlook for acute pancreatitis is mixed. In 80% of cases, the inflammation of the pancreas will be mild and will not cause any serious complications. Admission to hospital is always required, though, because the functions of the body need to be supported until the pancreas recovers.

In the remaining 20% of cases of acute pancreatitis the inflammation of the pancreas is severe and causes serious complications such as:

• a massive drop in blood pressure,
• blood poisoning (sepsis), and
• multiple organ failure.

This more severe form of acute pancreatitis is a medical emergency and requires admission to an intensive care unit (ICU).

In England and Wales in 2007 there were 990 deaths caused by acute pancreatitis.

The most effective way to reduce your risk of developing acute pancreatitis is avoid the excessive consumption of alcohol. See Prevention, for more information.