CONCLUSION: Acute pancreatitis is easy to recur even during treatment. The factors such as changes of pancreas structure and uncontrolled systemic inflammatory reaction are responsible for the recurrence of acute pancreatitis.
If you have repeated episodes of acute pancreatitis, the damage to your pancreas may lead to chronic pancreatitis. Chronic pancreatitis is a long-term condition that can have a serious impact on your quality of life.
Most common causes include common bile duct stones or sludge and bile crystals; sphincter of oddi dysfunction; anatomical ductal variants interfering with pancreatic juice outflow; obstruction of the main pancreatic duct or pancreatico-biliary junction; genetic mutations; alcohol consumption.
It doesn't go away and gets worse over time. It happens when the injury or damage to your pancreas never stops. Chronic pancreatitis will eventually do lasting damage to your pancreas, although it may take many years.
The recurrence rate of AP reported in previous studies is around 10–30%. It is important to note that patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis (RAP) are at high risk of progressing to chronic pancreatitis and even may be related to pancreatic cancer.
The two most common causes of acute pancreatitis are: gallstones. excessive consumption of alcohol.
With acute pancreatitis, even if it was not caused by alcohol, you should avoid drinking alcohol completely for at least six months to give the pancreas time to recover.
Chronic stress compromises the exocrine pancreas by generating ischaemia and reperfusion processes, as well as attracting leukocytes to the pancreatic parenchyma.
In 80% of people with acute pancreatitis, the inflammation either clears up completely or improves a lot within one to two weeks. But it sometimes leads to serious complications, so it's usually treated in a hospital.
What is it? Mid-back pain can be a sign of pancreatic cancer. The pain can be caused by a tumour invading nerves or organs that lie near the pancreas. Some people also report that they feel pain in their shoulder or under their shoulder blade.
See a GI specialist if you are experiencing unexplained weight loss, have persistent fatigue, develop jaundice, have ongoing stomach pain or a persistent bowel pattern change.
Some people have more than one attack and recover completely after each, but acute pancreatitis can be a severe, life-threatening illness with many complications. About 80,000 cases occur in the United States each year; some 20 percent of them are severe. Acute pancreatitis occurs more often in men than women.
Patients with severe acute pancreatitis have an average hospital stay of two months, followed by a lengthy recovery period.
The best food choices for those suffering from chronic pancreatitis are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nonfat/low fat dairy, and lean cuts of meat. Healthy fats such as avocado, olive oil, fatty fish, nuts, and seeds, may be consumed with careful portion control.
The pain: May be worse within minutes after eating or drinking at first, more commonly if foods have a high fat content. Becomes constant and more severe, lasting for several days. May be worse when lying flat on the back.
Tummy or back pain
People describe it as a dull pain that feels like it is boring into you. It can begin in the tummy area and spread around to the back. The pain is worse when you lie down and is better if you sit forward. It can be worse after meals.
Lying flat makes pancreatic pain worse. Sleep propped up on pillows. You may want to experiment with V-shaped pillows or bed wedges. Get on top of the pain when it starts with the medication prescribed by your pain team/Consultant/GP.
Symptoms of chronic pancreatitis
The pain usually develops in the middle or left side of your tummy and can move along your back. It's been described as a burning or shooting pain that comes and goes, but may last for several hours or days.
In addition to hospital treatment, the following lifestyle changes are recommended to help aid recovery and possibly prevent pancreatitis: Drink plenty of water. Stop or reduce alcohol consumption. Stop smoking, because the habit increases your risk of pancreatitis.
Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits. Maintain bowel regularity through high fiber intake. Eat probiotic foods (yogurt, sauerkraut, tempeh, etc.) Get adequate amounts of protein in your diet (protein is also part of the detox process)
Fried foods and high-fat foods
The pancreas helps with fat digestion, so foods with more fat make the pancreas work harder. Other examples of high-fat foods to avoid include: high-fat dairy products, such as cream, whole milk, and full fat cheeses. processed meats, such as hot dogs and sausage.