What is acute pancreatitis?
This is a condition where the pancreas gland in your tummy becomes inflamed.
This causes severe pain at the top of your tummy, which may go through to your back. People with pancreatitis often feel sick and sometimes vomit. You may also experience high temperatures.
Pancreatitis often gets better by itself. Most people with pancreatitis will be unwell for a few days and then start to feel better within a week.
Why did I get acute pancreatitis?
In the U.K. around 70% of the patients develop acute pancreatitis because they have gallstones. 25% of people get pancreatitis because they have been drinking too much alcohol on a regular basis or as a binge.
Less common causes include having high levels of fat (lipid) in the blood or as a side-effect of a medication. Occasionally no cause can be found.
What does my pancreas do?
The pancreas has two main functions:
- Keeps blood sugar levels under control.
- Produces digestive juice and enzymes (special chemicals) to help digest any food you eat.
What investigations will I have?
- Blood tests – Most people are diagnosed with pancreatitis from a blood test. Blood tests are usually repeated for several days in a row. This is so we can check that the pancreatitis is getting better, and to make sure that you are not developing complications.
- Ultrasound – Most people with pancreatitis will have an ultrasound scan of the tummy. This is to see if you have gallstones. Some jelly and a probe are placed on the surface of your tummy.
- CT scan – This is a whole-body x-ray. Not everyone needs a CT scan. We do this scan if we are unsure about your diagnosis or to see if you are developing any complications of pancreatitis. This scan involves high doses of x-rays (radiation).
- MRI scan – We call this scan an MRCP. Not everyone needs an MRI scan. This scan is to look for gallstones and to see if any gallstones have become stuck in a tube called the bile duct.
What is the treatment for acute pancreatitis?
Most people will have a mild attack of pancreatitis that gets better by itself. Whilst you are in hospital, we will offer you painkillers and anti-sickness medication.
Can I eat and drink with acute pancreatitis?
If your symptoms are mild, you may be allowed to eat and drink a light diet. Please ask the doctors and nurses on the ward what you can eat and drink each day. If you are struggling to drink, we will give you fluids through a drip. If you are struggling to eat, we can prescribe some nutritional drinks. Rarely, we may need to give you nutrition through a tube going through your nose into your stomach, or into a vein.
Can acute pancreatitis have complications?
Yes.
Most people have a mild attack of pancreatitis and get better without having any further health problems. Complications include:
- Fluid collections – Collections of fluid can develop can around the pancreas. These are sometimes called pseudocysts (sue-doe-cysts). This can cause bloating and pain. Sometimes fluid collections can press on your stomach and make it hard to eat and drink. Sometimes these fluid collections can become infected. Fluid collections often disappear by themselves after several weeks. Occasionally they require an operation or procedure to drain them.
- Necrosis – Sometimes, part of the pancreas can lose its blood supply. If this happens, we often need to perform repeated blood tests and scans to monitor the pancreas. Sometimes this requires antibiotics or a drainage procedure.
- Digestion problems – Your pancreas may stop producing enough juices to properly digest food. If this happens you may have diarrhoea, (particularly after eating fatty foods) and you may notice that you are losing weight. This can be treated by taking capsules (which contain digestive enzymes) with each meal.
- Diabetes – Rarely, your pancreas may struggle to control your blood sugar levels and you can become diabetic. You may need to adjust your diet, taketablets, or even start insulin injections. We will monitor your blood sugar levels throughout your hospital admission.
- Chronic pancreatitis- This occurs after repeated attacks of pancreatitis and the pancreas gland becomes permanently damaged. This causes severe tummy pain.
What is severe acute pancreatitis?
This is a serious and life-threatening condition.
This occurs in around 10% of patients with pancreatitis. The inflammation of the pancreas affects the ability of the heart, lungs and kidneys to function properly. People with acute severe pancreatitis often need to be treated in the intensive care unit (ICU).
If you are unfortunate enough to have severe pancreatitis you may be in hospital for many weeks, requiring multiple scans and procedures. Severe acute pancreatitis can result in death.
What happens if my pancreatitis was caused by gallstones?
If gallstones have caused your pancreatitis, we will offer you an operation to remove your gallbladder. Occasionally you may need a procedure called an ERCP.
Gallbladder operation
In order to stop you getting pancreatitis again, we usually offer an operation to remove the gallstones and the gallbladder. This is done under a general anaesthetic (you are put to sleep) with keyhole surgery. This operation is called a laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
We aim to perform gallbladder surgery once you have got over the worst of your acute pancreatitis. We try to do this operation during your hospital stay or within two weeks of you being sent home. Occasionally, we may delay the operation in order to allow your health to improve, or to carry out further tests.
More information about gallbladder operations can be found at: https://www.fhft.nhs.uk/services/general-surgery/
ERCP
If gallstones have become stuck in a tube called the bile duct you may need a procedure called an ERCP. This procedure is similar to a gastroscopy (a camera test into the stomach). This is done under general anaesthetic or sedation.
More information can be found at:
https://www.fhft.nhs.uk/media/4250/ercp-fph-h055.pdf
What happens if my pancreatitis was caused by alcohol?
If your pancreatitis has been caused by drinking too much alcohol, we advise you to stop drinking any alcohol.
More information can be found at:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-support/tips-on-cutting-down-alcohol/
What happens if you cannot find a cause for my pancreatitis?
If we cannot work out why you got pancreatitis, we may need to arrange further blood tests and scans. We will let you know if any about this when you are discharged from hospital.
When can I be discharged from hospital?
Once you can eat and drink and your pain is under control.
How long will it take me to get over my attack of acute pancreatitis?
This depends on your age, your fitness and how severe your attack of pancreatitis was. Most people will take several weeks to recover fully.
Your appetite is likely to be reduced, and you may only want to eat light meals or snacks for a week or two. The pain will gradually ease, but you may need to take painkillers at home.
When can I start driving again?
Once you can comfortably use all the controls in the car and turn round in your seat to safely reverse the car. You must be able to perform an emergency stop. This will usually be a week or more after your attack of acute pancreatitis.We would not recommend that you plan any long car journeys for at least two weeks after you get out of hospital.
It is always best to check with your insurance company to see if they have any specific rules. This is particularly important for professional drivers, e.g., taxi drivers, HGV drivers.
When can I go back to work?
This depends on how unwell you were, and the nature of your job.
A desk job could be restarted within a week or two of going home. A manual job, or a job which requires a long commute to work, will require longer off work.
Please ask us for a fit note (Statement of Fitness for Work).
If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms please get in contact :
• Unable to eat or drink.
• Severe pain
• Fever
• Feeling unwell
• Skin or eyes becoming yellow
Contact information
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Please contact the patient advice and liaison service (PALS)
Frimley Park Hospital 0300 613 6530
Heatherwood Hospital and Wexham Park Hospital 0300 615 3365
Title of Leaflet Acute Pancreatitis
Author Iain Wilson, Consultant Upper GI Surgeon
Department Day Surgery Unit, Heatherwood
Ref. No Y/046/1
Issue Date October 2023
Review Date September 2024
Legal Notice
Please remember that this leaflet is intended as general information only. We aim to make the information as up to date and accurate as possible. Please therefore always check specific advice or any concerns you may have with your doctor.