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Acute pancreatitis
Is it normal to have a fever with acute pancreatitis?
Acute pancreatitis often occurs following gallstones, hyperlipidemia, and alcohol consumption. Patients with acute pancreatitis sometimes exhibit clear symptoms, including fever. This is due to the significant inflammatory irritation and the extravasation of pancreatic juices, causing infection and effusion around the pancreatic tissue. If not treated promptly, the fever may persist. Therefore, after diagnosing acute pancreatitis, treatments such as dietary restrictions, gastrointestinal decompression, enzyme inhibition, acid suppression, correction of fluid and electrolyte balance, and anti-infection measures should be taken. These treatments can delay or alleviate the progression of acute pancreatitis and help the patient's body recover sooner, thereby reducing the fever.
Can you drink milk with acute pancreatitis?
Acute pancreatitis, especially in the early stages of an attack, does not allow for the consumption of milk. During the onset of acute pancreatitis, especially at the beginning, it is crucial to completely refrain from eating and drinking anything, as consuming food can lead to excessive secretion of stomach acid. The stimulation from the food can cause the pancreas to secrete enzymes, potentially worsening symptoms like abdominal pain and bloating associated with acute pancreatitis. For patients with acute pancreatitis, if the condition is stable and intestinal function is restored or in the recovery phase, it is permissible to drink some milk. However, it is important to avoid consuming foods that are overly greasy, spicy or stimulating, especially alcoholic beverages, as these can exacerbate the symptoms of pancreatitis or even lead to a recurrence of the condition. The diet should primarily consist of light, low-salt, low-fat fresh vegetables and fruits.
The causes of nausea and vomiting in acute pancreatitis
The causes of acute pancreatitis are often considered to be gallstones, as well as hyperlipidemia, alcohol-related reasons, and others. After the onset of pancreatitis, it usually causes significant gastrointestinal symptoms, accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Due to the increased intra-abdominal pressure, it can also cause abdominal compartment syndrome, which can exacerbate gastrointestinal symptoms. Therefore, the symptoms of nausea and vomiting may worsen, and after vomiting, symptoms do not ease significantly, which is a clear distinction from other diseases. After the onset of acute pancreatitis, it is necessary to address the root cause of the condition, and to use acid suppression, enzyme inhibition, and suppression of gastrointestinal symptoms to promote the recovery from pancreatitis.
What is acute severe pancreatitis?
Acute severe pancreatitis is caused by many reasons, including binge eating, especially consuming a large amount of high-fat diet, excessive drinking, obstruction of the pancreatic duct by gallstones in the bile duct, pregnancy, hyperlipidemia, etc. These lead to disorders in pancreatic secretion, resulting in pancreatic juices digesting the pancreas itself and leaking into the abdominal cavity, leading to symptoms such as abdominal effusion. It is classified as severe pancreatitis based on reaching a certain score in some assessments. Severe pancreatitis often accompanies dysfunction of organ systems, common examples include acute respiratory distress syndrome characterized by stubborn hypoxia and respiratory failure, acute renal failure shown by anuria or oliguria, and acute gastrointestinal failure, which manifests as high abdominal pressure and severe intestinal motility disorders, including abdominal distension.
How long after being discharged with acute pancreatitis can one resume a normal diet?
After being discharged from the hospital, patients with acute pancreatitis, upon re-examination of routine blood tests and upper abdominal CT scans showing complete healing of pancreatitis, may, as appropriate, consume a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet and gradually transition back to a normal diet. This process generally requires at least two months to be considered safe. Patients discharged after acute pancreatitis must abstain strictly from alcohol, avoid binge eating, and avoid overly greasy food. Greasy food can easily lead to increased bile discharge and potentially cause blockage of the pancreas, possibly triggering a recurrence of pancreatitis.
Can you drink water with acute pancreatitis?
During the acute attack of acute pancreatitis, it is essential to immediately prohibit eating and drinking, as it may exacerbate the condition. Once the abdominal pain disappears and the body temperature normalizes, one can gradually resume eating and drinking, starting with small amounts of water and liquid food. However, it is also necessary to avoid consumption of meats and protein-rich foods. Additionally, if eating prompts a relapse of the condition, it indicates that the prohibition of eating and drinking should continue. If patients with pancreatitis resume eating and drinking too soon, it can lead to a worsening of the condition.
What can be eaten during the recovery period of acute pancreatitis?
Patients with acute pancreatitis in the recovery phase should start to eat some sugary liquid diets, beginning with easily digestible sugary foods. Generally, it is recommended to transition from liquid to semi-liquid diets, and then to a normal regular diet. However, patients with acute pancreatitis in the recovery phase should still avoid overeating and consuming too greasy foods. They should also abstain from alcohol and avoid eating overly fatty foods such as meat fried noodles, fried rice with eggs, and braised pork. These foods should be largely avoided, while increasing the intake of protein-rich foods for the patient.
What department should I go to for acute pancreatitis?
Acute pancreatitis can be treated at the Department of Gastroenterology in local hospitals. It commonly begins with abdominal pain clinically, so it is recommended that patients first visit the Department of Gastroenterology. The pain from acute pancreatitis is primarily in the upper abdomen, persistent, and may radiate to the back. Of course, some patients may experience nausea, vomiting, cessation of gas and bowel movements, fever, etc. For such patients, it is recommended to complete examinations such as blood amylase, urine amylase, and lipase. When necessary, an abdominal ultrasound and CT scan should be conducted to assess the condition of the pancreatitis. Diagnosing pancreatitis is generally straightforward. As for treatment, it mainly involves internal medicine pharmacotherapy, fasting, fluid replacement, gastrointestinal decompression, and suppressing pancreatic secretion, among others. Of course, if complications arise, surgical intervention by the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery may be required. (The use of medication should be under the guidance of a doctor.)
Can you smoke with acute pancreatitis?
Acute pancreatitis is an emergency related to the pancreas. Smoking during this time is very harmful to health. Nicotine in tobacco directly affects the blood vessels of the pancreas, causing vasoconstriction and exacerbating pancreatitis. During acute pancreatitis, it is necessary to abstain from eating, not consuming any food, and timely use of medications is required to control the infection and decompress the gastrointestinal tract, providing parenteral nutrition. If acute pancreatitis is not treated actively, it can turn into acute suppurative pancreatitis, which poses a risk of shock. Therefore, it is best to be hospitalized for treatment of acute pancreatitis.
Causes of Pancreatitis
Common causes of pancreatitis in clinical settings include biliary tract diseases, alcohol consumption, overeating, and hyperlipidemia, among others, with biliary tract diseases being the most common. Pancreatitis is generally defined as inflammatory changes in the pancreas due to self-digestion caused by various reasons. Clinical manifestations include abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and vomiting, etc. Therefore, for patients with upper abdominal pain, it is necessary to further complete some examinations, such as liver function, amylase, lipase, abdominal ultrasound, and even abdominal CT scans, to clarify the diagnosis, which is generally straightforward for pancreatitis. The treatment of pancreatitis, in addition to symptomatic treatment, requires etiological treatment, combining different causes of pancreatitis. For instance, if caused by hyperlipidemia, lipid-lowering treatment is generally needed; if biliary tract disease is considered, active treatment of the biliary disease is required.