Signs & Symptoms of Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is a medical condition that affects the pancreas, a long gland located behind the stomach in the upper abdominal region. Pancreatitis is the inflammation of this gland, which manufactures various enzymes that aid greatly in the digestive process and regulate sugar levels in the body. While acute pancreatitis is short term and presents severe symptoms, chronic pancreatitis can last much longer and present serious complications.

Acute Signs

• The main symptoms of acute pancreatitis is pain in the upper abdomen that seems to radiate around to the person's back. When someone eats, he will feel this pain increase significantly. Nausea, vomiting and fever are also possible.

Chronic Symptoms

• Someone who has chronic pancreatitis will have bouts of pain but also may have indigestion after meals and may lose weight despite a healthy appetite. In addition, her stools may be "greasy" and have an unusually foul odor.

Pain from Pancreatitis

• The pain that accompanies pancreatitis may be somewhat relieved when the individual leans forward or while he is lying down curls his body into the fetal position. The abdomen will be extremely tender, even to the slightest touch.

Diabetes

• When the cells in the pancreas are severely damaged by the condition over the course of time, their ability to produce insulin can be compromised. In turn, this can lead to diabetes.

Other Complications

• Much more serious symptoms can develop from chronic pancreatitis, including malnutrition and kidney failure. Pancreatic cancer, a very deadly form of cancer, has been strongly linked to pancreatitis.