What can be eaten during the recovery period of acute pancreatitis?

Written by Wu Hai Wu
Gastroenterology
Updated on September 28, 2024
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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.

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Written by Li Qiang
Intensive Care Unit
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What causes acute severe pancreatitis?

There are many causes of severe pancreatitis, including the following: The first type is alcoholic pancreatitis, which is caused by heavy drinking leading to pancreatic damage. The second type is pancreatitis due to overeating, where consuming large amounts of food, especially high-fat foods, leads to excessive secretion by the pancreas, resulting in pancreatitis. Another type is biliary pancreatitis, caused by small gallstones from the gallbladder falling into the bile duct. Stones lodged at the opening of the pancreatic and bile ducts cause a secretion disorder in the pancreas, leading to pancreatitis. There is also hyperlipidemic pancreatitis, seen in pregnant women and patients with familial hyperlipidemia. Hyperlipidemia causes blockage of the pancreatic duct, thereby triggering an episode of pancreatitis. Another is traumatic pancreatitis, which is directly caused by external forces leading to compression or contusion injuries of the pancreas. Lastly, there is drug-induced pancreatitis, which occurs when certain medications have a direct toxic effect on the pancreas, causing damage to the pancreatic cells.

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Written by He Zong Quan
General Surgery
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How long does it take to recover from mild acute pancreatitis?

After an acute pancreatitis attack, most require fasting, gastrointestinal decompression, acid suppression, enzyme inhibition, fluid replenishment, and maintenance of water and electrolyte balance to achieve early recovery from pancreatitis. After the onset of acute pancreatitis, it is first necessary to understand the cause of pancreatitis. Many patients have biliary pancreatitis, and some are considered to be caused by alcohol or hyperlipidemia. Depending on the type of pancreatitis, the course of the disease may vary. Clinically, the most common biliary pancreatitis caused by gallstones generally improves with conservative treatment. In most cases, the condition can be controlled within about three days and recovery can occur within a week, whereas pancreatitis caused by hyperlipidemia or alcohol may take about ten days to control the progression of the disease.

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Written by Si Li Li
Gastroenterology
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Dietary care for acute pancreatitis

Symptoms of acute pancreatitis include severe upper abdominal pain. During the treatment, it is essential to fast and decompress the stomach and intestines initially during the abdominal pain period. Once the pain subsides, the patient can begin a liquid diet, followed by a gradual transition to a semi-liquid diet under the guidance of a doctor. Since the causes of acute pancreatitis include binge eating or excessive alcohol consumption, patients with acute pancreatitis should abstain from alcohol and maintain a balanced diet to prevent binge eating. A light diet is preferable, avoiding fatty, greasy, fried, and barbecued foods. Additionally, it is important to maintain regular rest patterns and avoid excessive fatigue or staying up late.

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Written by He Zong Quan
General Surgery
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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.

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Written by Li Qiang
Intensive Care Unit
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How long does it take to cure acute severe pancreatitis?

Acute severe pancreatitis is a disease with a long treatment period and high treatment costs. Acute severe pancreatitis is pathologically staged, generally divided into the organ failure phase, also known as the inflammatory response phase. Typically, this occurs within 7 days after the onset of severe pancreatitis, during which there is a massive release of inflammatory factors, causing multiple organ failures. This stage is perilous and often requires the support of multiple organ functions, such as ventilators and hemofiltration treatments. After this inflammatory response phase, it transitions into a chronic phase of abdominal infection, which occurs approximately one week to one or two months after the onset. At this time, there is a large amount of effusion in the abdominal cavity, and some of the effusion may develop secondary infections. The main treatment at this stage involves puncture drainage of the effusion. Once an infection is detected, puncture drainage is performed on the infected site to manage the infection. Therefore, the treatment period for severe pancreatitis primarily depends on the duration of organ function support, recovery time of organ functions, and the severity of the infection. Some organ function support may be prolonged, requiring several months, and sometimes irreversible conditions occur, such as acute renal failure transitioning into chronic renal failure. Abdominal infections are more complex. If the infection is severe and recurrent, long-term puncture drainage or surgical removal of the infection may be necessary, often requiring several months of treatment.