Pancreatitis is a common recurrent pathology of the pancreas. In the initial stages, pancreatic pancreatitis is asymptomatic or with very mild, subtle symptoms. This complicates early diagnosis and contributes to the development of complications that can lead to disability up to death.
The main symptom of exacerbation of chronic pancreatitis is severe pain in the upper abdomen and left side of the hypochondrium. The presence of abdominal discomfort, an increase in amylase or lipase greater than three times the upper limit of the normal range, and supported radiographic evidence are all required for the pancreatitis diagnosis (Siregar and Siregar, 2019). The stomach pain is distinguished by epigastric pain, followed by nausea and vomiting (Siregar and Siregar, 2019). Pain in pancreatitis can be paroxysmal or constant. Although stomach pain is commonly associated with surgery, there are several medical reasons for abdominal pain, such as infections, neurology, immunology, and functional causes (Nickson, 2020).
Additionally, there are several primary mechanisms causing stomach discomfort. Acute pain is caused mainly by peripheral or visceral abdominal injury and illness. Meantime, chronic abdominal discomfort is usually caused by deficiencies in neurophysiological functioning at the afferent, spinal, and cerebral levels (Dunlap and Patterson, 2020, p. 268). The yearly incidence of acute pancreatitis varies between 15.9 and 36.4 per 100,000 people (Chatila, Bilal, and Guturu, 2019, p. 1007). Despite improvements in access to healthcare, imaging technologies, and therapies, pancreatitis still has considerable morbidity and mortality, which has mostly remained stable over time.
Before treating pancreatitis, it is necessary to diagnose its form. In acute cases, surgery to remove purulent complications, irreversible pathological changes in the tissues of the gland, cysts, obstruction of the bile ducts, as well as other severe pathologies may be needed. The chronic form provides for conservative therapy and the appointment of a diet for pancreatitis. In parallel, symptomatic treatment is carried out, the inflammatory process is eliminated, detoxification is performed, and the normal function of the digestive system is restored.
Reference List
Nickson, C. (2020) Medical causes of abdominal pain. Web.
Dunlap, J. J. and Patterson, S. (2020) ‘Assessing abdominal pain’, Gastroenterology Nursing, 43(3), pp. 267-270.
Chatila, A. T., Bilal, M. and Guturu, P. (2019) ‘Evaluation and management of acute pancreatitis’, World Journal of Clinical Cases, 7(9), pp. 1006-1020.
Siregar, G. A. and Siregar, G. P. (2019) ‘Management of severe acute pancreatitis’, Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 7(19), pp. 3319-3323.