The patient feels severe pain in the upper abdomen, penetrating to the back. Lying down increases pain, which is relieved only by bending over. This pain, which lasts for hours or days, is caused by pancreatitis.

The pancreas is a long, flat gland that runs horizontally behind the stomach. The head of the pancreas rests on the upper part of the small intestine (duodenum), while its tail touches the spleen.

This gland has two main functions:

It secretes digestive juices and enzymes that help break down fats, carbohydrates and proteins (exocrine pancreatic function). The juices and enzymes are then transported through a small duct that opens into the duodenum.

The hormones insulin and glucagon are secreted into the bloodstream, in addition to somatostatin, another hormone that regulates the action of the two previous hormones whose main function is to regulate carbohydrate metabolism.

In acute pancreatitis, these functions are disrupted, and statistics indicate that most cases are mild to moderate, and the severity of symptoms only increases in 20 percent of people.

Acute pancreatitis occurs suddenly, when the pancreas retains the enzymes it secretes and is active in it, leading to irritation and inflammation of its sensitive tissues. In normal cases, enzymes move to the duodenum and are active there.

Each year, 180,000 cases of acute pancreatitis are diagnosed, and the main symptom is mild to severe pain in the upper abdomen, often extending to the back and chest. The aches can last for hours or days straight, drinking alcohol and eating contribute to their aggravation, and many people with acute inflammation sit, bend forward, or roll themselves in a fetal position, as they feel that these positions relieve the pain.

People with acute pancreatitis often feel sick, and this is what they actually look like, especially since they often suffer from nausea and vomiting. Other symptoms include high fever, difficulty breathing, and bruising in the abdomen as a result of internal bleeding.

Pancreatitis occurs for a variety of reasons, and in some cases the cause remains unknown. However, two common causes of the disease are excessive alcohol use and gallstones.

Less common causes:

Other conditions that may lead to acute pancreatitis include:

Calcium deposits or stones that block the pancreatic duct or the general bile duct.

High levels of triglycerides (blood fat) or calcium in the blood.

Structural anomalies of the pancreas, abdominal injury or major surgery.

A bacterial or viral infection.

In some occasional cases, acute pancreatitis caused by certain complications leads to chronic inflammation. Young adults with cystic fibrosis of the pancreas and the resulting genetic abnormalities also develop periods of chronic pancreatitis. In addition, some people are born with a genetic form of the disease that may cause seizures in childhood or adolescence.

In fact, in 10 percent of cases of acute inflammation, there is no clear cause for the disease, but researchers suspect that some episodes may be associated with gallstones that are too small to be seen.

If the doctor suspects a case of short-term inflammation in the pancreas, he examines the abdomen to detect the sites of pain, and a blood sample is analyzed for abnormal phenomena indicating the presence of acute inflammation.

The doctor may order an ultrasound or computerized tomography (CT) image of the abdomen to check the pancreas and look for gallstones or duct problems and to check that the gland is not damaged. The patient also undergoes an x-ray of the abdomen and chest to rule out other causes of pain.

And require acute pancreatitis hospitalization usually. In the event of complications, the patient is transferred to the intensive care unit, and treatment focuses on relieving pain, resting the pancreas and restoring the natural balance of the juices it secretes. Since the pancreas is activated whenever food enters the body, the patient is forbidden to eat and drink for a few days, and replace them with fluids and food given intravenously.

But if the attack was caused by gallstones blocking the pancreatic duct, the doctor may resort to a means to remove the stones, and this may be followed by surgery to remove the gallbladder if the stones continue to cause problems and if alcohol is responsible, this is accompanied by a treatment to stop its use.

In general, mild cases of pancreatitis improve within 3 to 7 days, after which the patient is able to return to eating and drinking, and moderate to severe cases take longer.

Complications of acute pancreatitis:

About a quarter of acute pancreatitis cases are severe and may lead to complications:

Like a bacterial infection where it spreads from the small intestine to it.

Cyst-like blisters called pseudocysts may form on the pancreas.

Pus may collect near the pancreas, after 4 to 6 weeks of an acute attack of inflammation, and treatment is done with antibiotics and drainage of the abscess through a catheter, or it may require surgical intervention.