Acute Pancreatitis: An acute severe abdominal pain click to learn more

Most people with acute pancreatitis improve within a week and experience no further problems, but severe cases can have serious complications and can even be fatal.

Acute pancreatitis is different to chronic pancreatitis, where the inflammation of the pancreas persists for many years.

The most common symptoms of acute pancreatitis include:

suddenly getting severe pain in the centre of your abdomen (tummy)

It’s thought that acute pancreatitis occurs when a problem develops with some of the enzymes (chemicals) in the pancreas, which causes them to try to digest the organ.

Acute pancreatitis is most often linked to:

gallstones – which accounts for around half of all cases

alcohol consumption – which accounts for about a quarter of all cases

Acute pancreatitis is more common in middle-aged and elderly people,

but it can affect people of any age.

Men are more likely to develop alcohol-related pancreatitis,

while women are more likely to develop it as a result of gallstones.

Always seek help of a doctor in the hospital.

Treatment for acute pancreatitis focuses on supporting the functions of the body until the inflammation has passed.

This usually involves admission to hospital so you can be given fluids into a vein (intravenous fluids), as well as pain relief, nutritional support and oxygen through tubes into your nose. Most people with acute pancreatitis improve within a week and are well enough to leave hospital after 5-10 days.

However, recovery takes longer in severe cases, as complications that require additional treatment may develop.

About four out of five cases of acute pancreatitis improve quickly and don’t cause any serious further problems.

However, one in five cases are severe and can result in life-threatening complications, such as multiple organ failure.

If a person survives the effects of severe acute pancreatitis, it’s likely to be several weeks or months before they’re well enough to leave hospital.