How to identify and treat acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas that can occur due to excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages or the presence of stones in the gallbladder, causing severe abdominal pain that appears suddenly and is extremely disabling.

Generally, patients with acute pancreatitis recover easily when the cause of the disease is identified, so it may be necessary to have surgery to remove gall stones, for example.

Acute pancreatitis is curable and its treatment should be started in the hospital with drugs directly in the vein, to relieve symptoms.

Symptoms of acute pancreatitis

The main ones of acute pancreatitis include:

Intense pain in the upper part of the belly; Abdominal swelling; Excessive sweating; Increased heart rate; Nausea and vomiting; Diarrhea.

The patient with symptoms of acute pancreatitis should go to the emergency room or consult a gastroenterologist for blood tests and abdominal tomography in order to diagnose the problem and start the appropriate treatment. Normally the result of the blood lipase test is quite high, see more about this test here.

How the treatment is done

Treatment for acute pancreatitis must be guided by a gastroenterologist and consists of interning the patient and keeping him fasting, being hydrated with saline in the vein. This procedure can relieve pain in about 80% of cases, as it reduces the activity of the pancreas.

In addition, the doctor may recommend the use of analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Paracetamol or Ibuprofen, as well as antibiotics, such as Amoxicillin, to complement treatment at home.

In cases of severe acute pancreatitis, it may be necessary to resort to surgery to remove gall stones or to remove the affected part of the pancreas. In these cases, the patient may develop diabetes, as the pancreas is responsible for the production of insulin, and therefore may need to make insulin injections for the rest of his life. Learn more about treatment for acute and chronic pancreatitis.

Diet for acute pancreatitis

The diet for acute pancreatitis consists of fasting on the 1st day of hospital stay. When drug or surgical treatment reaches its objectives, the oral diet should be started, giving preference to:

Foods rich in carbohydrates and lean proteins; Fruits, vegetables, greens and vegetables, Water, teas or coconut water.

It is very important that the patient does not consume very fatty foods, such as fried foods, cakes or snacks, as these foods need the enzymes produced by the pancreas to be properly digested and, at this stage, the pancreas must rest to recover.