Everyone Healthy Library
Acute Pancreatitis
Condition / disease reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
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Connected health information
Explore this condition in a clear order
Condition overview
Attributes
Commonalityis rare
Incidenceis approximately 1 in 1,136 people
Incidenceis approximately 1 in 5,556 people
Linked signs and symptoms
20Each sign/symptom opens its own page and links back to related conditions.
- Abdominal Pain Which Radiates Around to the Back
- Abdominal Swelling
- Blood Pressure Below Normal (Hypotension)
- Chills
- diarrhea
- Fever (Raised Body Temperature)
- Fluid Collection in Abdominal Cavity (Ascites)
- Heart or Pulse Rate Raised (Tachycardia)
- loss of appetite
- Mind: Confusion
- Nausea
- Pain Abdominal
- Pain Back
- Pain Side (Flank)
- Pain: Chest which Radiates Round to the Back
- shock
- Skin Yellowing (Jaundice)
- Skin: Bruising/Discoloration of Flanks (Grey-Turners Sign)
- Steatorrhea (pale, foul-smelling and oily stools)
- Vomiting
Linked drugs / medications
0No linked drugs are listed yet.
Treatments, therapies and supportive options
25Grouped by treatment type. These are educational database links, not personal treatment recommendations. Evidence labels are shown only where stored in the EH database.
Surgery
2Endoscopic procedures
1Laparoscopy
2Medical therapy
10- Catheter DrainageWeakly in Favour(Low Evidence)
- CholecystectomyWeakly in Favour(Low Evidence)
- Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)Weakly in Favour(Low Evidence)
- Enteral feeding (feeding tube inserted through mouth)Weakly in Favour(Low Evidence)
- Laparoscopic CholecystectomyWeakly in Favour(Low Evidence)
- Necrosectomy (through small incision)Weakly in Favour(Low Evidence)
- Necrosectomy with DrainageWeakly in Favour(Low Evidence)
- Nil by Mouth (No feeding)Weakly in Favour(Low Evidence)
- Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN)Weakly in Favour(Low Evidence)
- Urinary CatheterWeakly in Favour(Low Evidence)
Lifestyle changes
1Alternative and complementary therapies
1Vitamins and minerals
1Minerals
1Linked diagnostic tests and investigations
28These are pulled from both EH diagnostic-test link tables, including the older large test-link table.
- Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) Concentration
- amylase concentration
- Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) Concentration
- Calcium Concentration (Blood, Total)
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Culture
- Chest X-Ray
- complete Blood Count (CBC)
- Fecal Chymotrypsin Concentration
- Fecal Fat Determination (Fat Absorption Test, Fecal Fat Stain)
- Gamma-Glutamyltransferase (GGT) Concentration
- Glucagon Concentration Test
- Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT, OGTT, 120 Minutes After Glucose Load)
- Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT, OGTT, 160 Minutes After Glucose Load)
- Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT, OGTT, 30 Minutes After Glucose Load)
- Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT, OGTT, 60 Minutes After Glucose Load)
- Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT, OGTT, Fasting Glucose)
- Glucose Tolerance Test for Gestational Diabetes (1 Hour After Glucose Load)
- Glucose Tolerance Test for Gestational Diabetes (Fasting Glucose Value)
- Glucose, Blood (Fasting Blood Glucose)
- Glucose, Blood (Random Blood Glucose Test)
- Lactate Dehydrogenase Concentration
- lipase concentration
- Protein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein)
- Triglyceride (TGs) Concentration
- Urine Amylase Excretion Rate
- Urine White Blood Cells Test
- Vitamin B12 (VB12) Concentration
- White Blood Cell (WBC) Count
Biological markers/agents
20This visual map shows biological markers/agents reported as increased or decreased with this condition. These are educational relationships only; test results must be interpreted by a qualified clinician because ranges vary by lab, method, age, sex and clinical context.
Often increased
16- Albumin (Blood)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 37–52 gm/dL; Infant (0 - 1y): 4.4–5.4 gm/dLLinked diagnostic testsBlood Albumin Concentration, Protein Electrophoresis (Blood
- Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 30–125 units/L; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 40–110 units/LLinked diagnostic testsAlkaline Phosphatase (ALP) Concentration
- Alpha-1-Globulin (Blood, Serum)Reference range exampleAll: 0.1–0.3 gm/dLLinked diagnostic testsProtein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein)
- Alpha-2-Globulin (Blood, Serum)Reference range exampleAll: 0.6–1 gm/dLLinked diagnostic testsProtein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein)
- AmylaseReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 25–125 units/LLinked diagnostic testsamylase concentration
- Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 10–25 units/L; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 10–35 units/LLinked diagnostic testsAspartate Aminotransferase (AST) Concentration
- Beta GlobulinReference range exampleAll: 0.7–1.2 gm/dLLinked diagnostic testsProtein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein)
- Fecal FatReference range exampleAll: 1,000–7,000 mg/24hrsLinked diagnostic testsFecal Fat Determination (Fat Absorption Test, Fecal Fat Stain)
- Gamma-Glutamyltransferase (GGT)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 6–30 units/L; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 6–38 units/LLinked diagnostic testsGamma-Glutamyltransferase (GGT) Concentration
- GlucagonReference range exampleChild (0 - 16y): 0–147 pg/mL; Adult ( > 16y): 20–110 pg/mLLinked diagnostic testsGlucagon Concentration Test
- Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH)Reference range exampleInfant (0 - 1y): 120–250 units/L; Adult ( > 16y): 100–200 units/LLinked diagnostic testsLactate Dehydrogenase Concentration
- LipaseReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 10–140 units/LLinked diagnostic testslipase concentration
- TriglyceridesReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 32–137 mg/dL; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 35–155 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsTriglyceride (TG's) Concentration, Triglyceride (TGs) Concentration
- Urine AmylaseReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 400–6,700 nkat/dayLinked diagnostic testsUrine Amylase Excretion Rate
- Urine White Blood CellsReference range exampleAll: 0–5 /hpfLinked diagnostic testsUrine White Blood Cells Test
- White Blood Cell (WBC)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 4.5–10.5 million/mL; Adult ( > 16y): 3.2–10 million/mLLinked diagnostic testsWhite Blood Cell (WBC) Count
Often decreased
4- Calcium (Blood, Total)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 8.5–10.4 mg/dL; Birth - 2wks: 7.6–10.3 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsCalcium Concentration (Blood, Total)
- Fecal ChymotrypsinReference range exampleAll: 75–1,200Linked diagnostic testsFecal Chymotrypsin Concentration
- Glucose (Blood)Reference range exampleInfant (0 - 1y): 3–6.1 mmol/L; Adult ( > 16y): 0–6.1 mmol/LLinked diagnostic testsfasting Blood Glucose Test, Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT
- Vitamin B12 (VB12)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 130–670 pmol/LLinked diagnostic testsVitamin B12 (VB12) Concentration
Introduction / full article
Acute Pancreatitis
Acute Pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis is the sudden inflammation of the pancreas, which can range from mild to life-threatening.
Causes
Gallstones are a major cause of acute pancreatitis, as they can physically obstruct the duct through which pancreatic fluid enters and exits the pancreas.
The condition is also often caused by chronic alcohol overconsumption. This clogs the small pores in the pancreas that drain into the pancreatic duct, also obstructing the flow of pancreatic fluid.
Certain drugs and viruses are also known to cause easily-resolvable inflammation of the pancreas.
Disease pathway
A blockage traps enzyme-containing fluids inside the pancreas. Over time, the accumulated enzymes begin to erode the cells of the pancreas, giving rise to severe inflammation.
Symptoms and diagnosis
Almost all sufferers of acute pancreatitis will experience severe pain in the upper abdomen, which has also been known to spread to the back.
Vigorous movement, including coughing, may worsen the pain. Many patients report nausea, and the need to vomit.
Acute pancreatitis cannot be confirmed with a single test, although the combination of a number of tests can be used to do so. These include physical examinations of the abdominal region, analysis of enzyme levels in the blood, and a white blood cell count.
Treatment
Treatment for acute pancreatitis involves hospitalization, where the patient is closely monitored.
They are required to abstain from food or drink, to allow the pancreas to rest. Nutrients and fluids are given intravenously. Analgesics may be administered for pain relief.
When acute pancreatitis is caused by gallstones, the most appropriate course of treatment varies between cases. In some situations, the patient will pass the gallstone spontaneously. In others, surgical intervention is required to remove the stone.
Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:
Selenium Supplement [1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13]:
Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. IMPORTANT: Selenium is toxic in high doses. Massive overdoses can cause kidney failure, breathing difficulty and death. Selenium should only be taken at healthy levels which the body is able to tolerate.
Recommendation: No recommendation (Available evidene does not support claims that selenium helps to prevent or treat pancreatitis)
Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence
Chlorella (Green Algae, Chlorella Pyrenoidosa) [1, 2, 3, 4]:
Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.
Recommendation: no recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that Chlorella helps to treat pancreatitis in any way)
Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence
* www.gradeworkinggroup.org
Summary References
Treatments:
1. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, "Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies", American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009
2. Nakano, S et al. “Maternal-fetal distribution and transfer of dioxins in pregnant women in Japan, and attempts to reduce maternal transfer with Chlorella (Chlorella pyrenoidosa) supplements...” Chemosphere 2005 Dec; 61(9): 1244–55.
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=11347287&dopt=Abstract
4. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/chlorella
5. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/selenium?sitearea=ETO
6. http://www.cancer.gov/Templates/doc.aspx?viewid=ED8AD8E8-6AE5-458D-8091-393F4CB73F0D
7. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-selenium.html
8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9290116
9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9829869
10. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10335455
11. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2136228
12. http://www.springerlink.com/content/v0r644v4ju5153k2/
13. http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/101/5/283