Contents:
- Medical Video: 10 Early Warning Signs of Pancreatic Cancer Don't Ignore These
- What is pancreatitis?
- Signs and symptoms of pancreatitis
- Symptoms of acute pancreatitis
- Symptoms of chronic pancreatitis
- When should you see a doctor?
Medical Video: 10 Early Warning Signs of Pancreatic Cancer Don't Ignore These
Just like other organs, the pancreas can also be affected by health problems. One disease that attacks the pancreas is pancreatitis or inflammatory pancreatic disease. Unfortunately, most people tend not to feel any symptoms when their pancreas has a problem that is often overlooked. So, what are the symptoms of pancreatitis that need to be watched out? Come on, see the full review below.
What is pancreatitis?
Pancreatitis is a rare disease when the pancreas is inflamed. This is because the enzymes produced by the digestive organs trigger chemical reactions and attack the pancreatic organs. In severe cases, this pancreatitis can cause glandular bleeding, tissue damage, infection, and the appearance of cysts.
Pancreatitis consists of two types, namely acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis. The difference is that acute pancreatitis occurs suddenly and can cause complications. While chronic pancreatitis occurs when pancreatitis develops slowly and is made worse by drinking alcohol or other poor lifestyle patterns. As a result, the function of the pancreas will decrease and interfere with the digestive process to make the weight drop dramatically.
Signs and symptoms of pancreatitis
Signs and symptoms of pancreatitis may vary in each person, depending on what type of pancreatitis is experienced. The most common symptom of acute and chronic pancreatitis is the pain in the upper abdomen, or more precisely below the rib cage.
So, what are the symptoms of acute and chronic pancreatitis? Let's peel one by one.
Symptoms of acute pancreatitis
Symptoms of acute pancreatitis usually begin with the onset of pain in the right upper abdomen and occur suddenly for several days. However, this pain can also appear continuously and center on the abdomen or propagate to the back. These symptoms usually get worse just after eating.
Other symptoms of acute pancreatitis include:
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Indigestion
- Fever up to 38 degrees Celsius or more
- Increased pulse
- Jaundice
- Pain or swelling of the stomach
- Gray stool
In the most severe cases, pancreatitis can cause bleeding, shock, and end in death.
Symptoms of chronic pancreatitis
Quoted from the Very Well page, as many as 70 to 80 percent of cases of chronic pancreatitis are caused by excessive alcohol consumption and eventually develop into complications. Pancreatic damage due to alcohol may not cause any symptoms for years. So, the sufferer just realized when diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis by a doctor.
Symptoms of chronic pancreatitis are generally the same as those of acute pancreatitis. Patients with chronic pancreatitis tend to experience three types of health problems, namely pain, the inability to absorb food so that the body weight drops, and the condition of the stool tends to be oily and smelly (called steatorrhea).
When should you see a doctor?
If you begin to feel one or several symptoms of pancreatitis, immediately consult a doctor. Moreover, if you feel severe stomach pain that makes you unable to find a comfortable position, even by sitting. Be careful with the frequency of vomiting that doesn't go away for several hours, because these symptoms may be caused by pancreatitis.
Pancreatitis can be a severe and potentially life threatening disease. Because of that, the approach wait and see or waiting and seeing symptoms feared will further aggravate the disease that should be dealt with immediately.
