Diagram of the stomach area with labels showing the liver, stomach, gallbladder and pancreas. The pancreas is highlighted just below the stomach. — The pancreas is an organ in the middle of your tummy. It helps with digestion and makes hormones such as insulin.

Chronic pancreatitis is different to acute pancreatitis, where the pancreas becomes suddenly inflamed.

Symptoms of chronic pancreatitis

The main symptom of chronic pancreatitis is pain in your tummy (abdomen).

The pain may be:

in the upper part of your tummy (just below your ribs), one side of your tummy or your whole tummy
constant or come and go
severe or like a dull ache
better when sitting down and leaning forward
worse after eating

Other symptoms of chronic pancreatitis can include:

feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)
diarrhoea
having very smelly poo that floats and is difficult to flush away
feeling bloated or farting a lot
feeling thirsty or needing to pee a lot
losing weight without trying to

Chronic pancreatitis mainly affects adults and is more common in people who drink or smoke a lot.

Chronic pancreatitis symptoms can be similar to other conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or gallstones.

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:

you think you might have chronic pancreatitis

Urgent advice: Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:

you get sudden, severe pain in your tummy

This could be a sign of acute pancreatitis or another condition that may need to be treated in hospital as soon as possible.

You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.

How chronic pancreatitis is diagnosed

There's no single test for chronic pancreatitis. A doctor may need to rule out other possible causes of your symptoms first.

A GP may:

feel your tummy
check if your skin and eyes look yellow (a sign of a liver problem)
weigh you to check if you're underweight
arrange blood tests or tests on a sample of your poo
ask if you have any close relatives who've had pancreatitis

They may refer you to a specialist for more tests, such as:

a CT scan or ultrasound scan
a gastroscopy (where a thin tube with a camera inside is passed down your throat and into your stomach)

Problems chronic pancreatitis can cause

If you have chronic pancreatitis, the damage and scarring to your pancreas can often cause other problems, such as:

difficulty absorbing nutrients from food, which can cause weight loss and problems such as weakened bones (osteoporosis)
a type of diabetes caused by your pancreas not producing enough insulin (called type 3c diabetes)
growths (cysts) around your pancreas, which can become infected, bleed or push against nearby organs
a blockage in your pancreas or the small tubes in your digestive system called bile ducts, which can cause problems like pain or inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis)

People with chronic pancreatitis also have a higher risk of getting pancreatic cancer.

Treatment for chronic pancreatitis

There's currently no cure for chronic pancreatitis. But treatment can help manage the symptoms and related problems like diabetes or difficulty absorbing nutrients from food.

You'll be supported by different healthcare professionals. This may include your GP and specialist doctors, nurses and food and nutrition specialists (dietitians).

Treatments you may need include:

painkillers
medicines that help your body absorb nutrients from food
medicines for diabetes, such as insulin
surgery to remove growths (cysts) from your pancreas or unblock blockages in your pancreas or bile ducts

Sometimes you may also have treatment for the cause of your pancreatitis. For example, steroid medicine can help if it's caused by your immune system attacking your pancreas.

Things you can do if you have chronic pancreatitis

If you have chronic pancreatitis, there are things you can do to help stop the damage to your pancreas getting worse and reduce the risk of other problems.

Do

eat a healthy, balanced diet – this can help you get the nutrients you need

Don’t

do not drink alcohol – drinking alcohol can cause more damage to your pancreas, even if the condition was not caused by alcohol
do not smoke – if you smoke, giving up can help slow down the damage to the pancreas

More information and support

Causes of chronic pancreatitis

The most common cause of chronic pancreatitis is drinking alcohol.

Drinking too much alcohol can cause your pancreas to become inflamed for a short time, known as acute pancreatitis.

If you keep drinking and keep getting acute pancreatitis, eventually your pancreas can become permanently scarred.

Chronic pancreatitis can also be linked to:

smoking
your genes – including the gene that causes cystic fibrosis (this is the most common cause in children)
your immune system mistakenly attacking your pancreas
your pancreas not developing properly when you're born
some medicines, including some antibiotics and diabetes medicines

Sometimes it's not clear what the cause is.

How chronic pancreatitis affects your life

Chronic pancreatitis is a serious condition that can have a big impact on your life.

Symptoms like pain, feeling sick and being sick can be stressful to live with. You'll also need to have regular check-ups, tests and scans to check for problems like diabetes or weakened bones.

The condition can affect how long you live, although this is different for everybody. Most people live with it for many years.

The damage to your pancreas usually gets worse over time and it's not possible to reverse it. But not drinking alcohol and not smoking can help slow it down and reduce the risk of getting other problems.

Help and support for chronic pancreatitis

Chronic pancreatitis can be a difficult condition to live with, both physically and emotionally.

As well as support from your GP and specialist team, you may find it helpful to get support from other people with chronic pancreatitis, either at a local support group or online.

There are national charities that can offer support and information.

Guts UK

For people with conditions affecting the digestive system.

Pain concern

For people living with pain.