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pancreatitis
Can pancreatitis cause a fever?
Patients with pancreatitis generally experience fever during the acute phase, with body temperatures sometimes reaching as high as 40°C. However, not every patient with pancreatitis will have a high fever; some may have a low fever, with body temperatures around 38°C. Patients with pancreatitis require active anti-infection treatment and treatments to suppress pancreatic secretion. By using drugs that penetrate the pancreatic barrier, such as third-generation cephalosporins or quinolones, the fever can be somewhat alleviated. At this time, the routine blood count can also return to normal. (Please use medications under the guidance of a physician)
Can I drink tea with pancreatitis?
Patients with pancreatitis are advised not to drink tea. If the symptoms are severe, they might experience intense abdominal pain, stomach coldness, fever, and cessation of gas and bowel movements. Under these conditions, patients should not drink water or eat anything, and certainly should not drink tea. The causes of pancreatitis could be biliary stone-related inflammation, excessive drinking or eating, or due to alcohol consumption. A minority of cases might be due to anatomical abnormalities of the pancreas or autoimmune diseases. Therefore, once pancreatitis occurs, it is necessary to identify the cause and take appropriate treatment measures. This includes actively suppressing the secretion of pancreatic enzymes and stomach acid, aggressively rehydrating, and, if necessary, undergoing surgical treatment.
What should I do if pancreatitis keeps recurring?
After recovering from acute pancreatitis, the recurrence rate varies depending on the cause of the disease. Especially in cases of biliary pancreatitis, if gallstones or bile duct stones are not removed in time, the probability of recurrence of acute pancreatitis is still very high. Therefore, for patients with acute pancreatitis, we must emphasize treating the cause of the condition. For example, surgical removal of the gallbladder or extraction of stones from the bile duct. At the same time, patients should avoid overeating and drinking alcohol, and consume more fresh vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins. Their diet should also be light.
Is pancreatitis contagious?
Pancreatitis is a condition where pancreatic tissue damage is caused by self-digestion due to various etiologies. It can be seen in multiple causes and is not a contagious disease itself and does not spread. However, when pancreatitis is caused by infectious diseases such as acute epidemic mumps, influenza A infection, Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection, infectious mononucleosis, Coxsackie virus infection, etc., the pancreas can be affected as a target organ resulting in pancreatitis. In such cases, transmission of the primary disease may occur, but pancreatitis is more commonly associated with biliary diseases such as cholelithiasis, biliary infection, alcohol damage, pancreatic duct obstruction (like pancreatic duct stones, ascariasis, stricture, tumors), diseases of the descending part of the duodenum (such as post-bulbar perforation, ulcers, adjacent papillitis of the duodenum, surgical trauma), hyperlipidemia, autoimmune diseases, drug damage, etc., none of which are contagious.
How is pancreatitis caused?
Pancreatitis is also a common disease in clinical practice, especially acute pancreatitis. There are many causes of acute pancreatitis. From a definitional perspective, it refers to the inflammatory changes in the pancreas caused by various reasons. For Chinese people, some common causes include biliary tract stones, cholelithiasis, etc., as well as excessive eating and drinking, hyperlipidemia, and alcohol consumption. The symptoms of pancreatitis include upper abdominal pain or pain in the waist and back, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, fever, etc. The diagnostic criteria for acute pancreatitis include typical abdominal pain, abnormal serum and urinary amylase levels, and abnormalities found in abdominal ultrasound or abdominal CT scans. If the aforementioned three criteria are met, pancreatitis can be diagnosed. The treatment plan for pancreatitis varies depending on the cause. For example, lipid lowering treatment is recommended for hyperlipidemia-induced cases, and surgical intervention is suggested for biliary tract stones.
What department should I go to for pancreatitis?
Pancreatitis is a disease where the digestive enzymes in the pancreas are activated internally, causing the pancreas to digest itself. Clinically, it presents with upper abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. If severe, the abdominal pain can be intense. In such cases, one should register with the department of gastroenterology, as the pancreas is also an organ of the digestive system. If the hospital does not have a gastroenterology department, one could consider registering with the department of internal medicine. If the pancreatitis is severe and requires surgical or other treatments after examination by the gastroenterology department, further referral to another specialty for treatment may be necessary.
Where does pancreatitis hurt?
Pancreatitis refers to the disease caused by the digestion of its own tissues by pancreatic fluid, with the main symptoms being pain, vomiting, and nausea. The pain is generally located in the upper left abdomen and can radiate to the left shoulder or left back. If it is biliary pancreatitis, there is generally pain in the upper right abdomen that gradually moves to the left side, may involve the entire abdomen, and radiates to the back in a belt-like manner. It often occurs suddenly after a full meal or drinking alcohol. The abdominal pain is very severe and unbearable, and active medication treatment should be used. (Specific medications should be used under the guidance of a physician.)
Is it okay to drink alcohol occasionally with pancreatitis?
Patients with pancreatitis absolutely must not drink alcohol, as it can lead to malnutrition and cause damage to organs such as the liver and pancreas, thereby reducing the patient's immunity. Even a single drinking session can provoke an episode of acute pancreatitis. Therefore, patients with pancreatitis must decidedly abstain from alcohol. Additionally, they should avoid overeating, as it can disturb gastrointestinal function, hinder normal bowel movements and emptying, and obstruct the normal secretion of bile and pancreatic juice, thus triggering a recurrence of pancreatitis.
How to treat mild pancreatitis
Pancreatitis occurs due to the abnormal activation of pancreatic enzymes, leading to the self-digestion of the pancreas. The primary causes include alcohol, where excessive drinking can induce acute pancreatitis. Another cause is hyperlipidemia, as individuals with high blood lipid levels are prone to acute pancreatitis. Additionally, cholelithiasis, including stones in both the bile ducts and the gallbladder, can also trigger acute pancreatitis. Symptoms of acute pancreatitis manifest as severe pain in the upper abdomen, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, abdominal bloating, and fever. Acute pancreatitis is classified into mild, moderate, and severe categories. Mild cases mainly exhibit edema of the pancreas without bleeding, necrosis, or involvement of other organs. Treatment primarily involves fasting and fluid replacement, typically lasting for more than 48 hours or until abdominal pain ceases. Another aspect of treatment is inhibiting pancreatic enzyme secretion. Some patients with acute pancreatitis might also need antibiotics. Typically, mild acute pancreatitis can heal within one to two weeks of treatment.
How do you get acute severe pancreatitis?
There are many causes of acute severe pancreatitis, and the mechanisms of onset are not completely the same. Biliary pancreatitis is caused by small gallstones falling into the bile duct, becoming lodged at the distal end of the duct. At this time, the opening of the pancreatic duct is blocked, causing a disorder in pancreatic juice secretion, increasing pancreatic duct pressure, and spilling out of the pancreatic duct. This can corrode pancreatic cells and other abdominal organ cells. Alcohol and drug-induced pancreatitis is due to the direct damage of alcohol and drugs to the pancreatic cells, causing the leakage of pancreatic secretions. Overeating-induced pancreatitis is caused by consuming too much food at once, especially a high-fat diet, leading to a massive secretion of pancreatic juice. If there is an obstacle in the expulsion of this juice, it can also lead to pancreatitis. Hyperlipidemic pancreatitis is caused by excessively high blood lipid levels, which form blockages. These lipids obstruct the secretion of the pancreatic duct, causing pancreatitis. In all types of pancreatitis, the leakage of pancreatic secretions corrodes the pancreatic cells and these secretions enter the abdominal cavity, corroding abdominal organs and leading to a series of severe inflammatory responses and potentially leading to abdominal infections.