Acute Pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis is acute inflammation of the pancreas. It results from auto-digestion of the pancreatic substance by inappropriate activation of pancreatic enzymes. There are many causes but the most common are gallstones and alcohol abuse. The pancreas undergoes interstitial inflammation, edema, fat necrosis or even hemmorhage. Therefore, the patient has severe, constant abdominal pain which radiates to the back with epigastric tenderness and may be relieved with sitting forward. The patient may have nausea, fever, jaundice and tachycardia. We may also see certain signs in the patient like the Cullen's sign (peri-umbilical discoloration) and the Grey Turner's sign (flank discoloration). The treatment is mostly based on painkillers and bowel rest alongside IV fluid administration but in severe cases surgery may be needed to remove the necrotic tissue. Hence, anyone with sudden onset severe, constant abdominal pain should immediately visit the doctor because there's a good chance that they might be suffering from acute pancreatitis and the earlier the diagnosis, the better the treatment will be.
