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Symptoms of pancreatitis may depend on which type you have.
Acute pancreatitis can have these symptoms:
Chronic pancreatitis can have the above symptoms plus these:
Pancreatitis is most often caused by:
Less often, pancreatitis can be caused by:
In about one in five patients with acute pancreatitis, no cause can be identified.
To find out if pancreatitis is the cause of your symptoms, your doctor will do a physical exam, ask about your medical history, and do a blood test. You may also have an imaging test like an x-ray, ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI of your abdomen.
Once the doctor knows you have pancreatitis, other tests can help find out what caused it. This will help make sure you get the right treatment.
Pancreatitis is usually treated in the hospital. If your pancreatitis is severe, you may be treated in an intensive care unit. Your treatment in the hospital may include:
Your doctors will also treat the cause of your pancreatitis to help prevent it from coming back. Your treatment may include:
Changes to your lifestyle can reduce your chances of getting pancreatitis again. These are:
Pancreatitis [pan-kree-uh-TAHY-tis] is a condition in which the pancreas is irritated or inflamed (swollen). The pancreas is an organ in the upper abdomen (belly) that makes important chemicals for your body.
There are two different types of pancreatitis:
If left untreated, pancreatitis can cause kidney failure, trouble breathing, digestion issues, diabetes, and abdominal pain.