Table of Contents
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Images
The main symptom of pancreatitis is
The pain:
- May be worse within minutes after eating or drinking at first, especially 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
- May spread (radiate) to the back or below the left shoulder blade
People with acute pancreatitis often look ill and have a fever, nausea, vomiting, and sweating.
Other symptoms that may occur with this disease include:
- Clay-colored stools
Gaseous abdominal fullness Hiccups Indigestion - Mild yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
- Skin
rash or sore (lesion) Swollen abdomen
Signs and tests
The doctor will perform a physical exam, which may show that you have:
- Abdominal tenderness or lump (mass)
- Fever
Low blood pressure - Rapid heart rate
- Rapid breathing (respiratory) rate
Laboratory tests will be done. Tests that show the release of pancreatic enzymes include:
Increased blood amylase level - Increased
serum blood lipase level - Increase
urine amylase level
Other blood tests that can help diagnose pancreatitis or its complications include:
-
Complete blood count (CBC) Comprehensive metabolic panel
Imaging tests that can show inflammation of the pancreas include:
Abdominal CT scan Abdominal MRI Abdominal ultrasound
Previous Section
Review Date: 01/20/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of
General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington
School of Medicine; and George F. Longstreth, MD, Department of
Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, San
Diego, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical
Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
