Acute Pancreatitis

Acute Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas causing abdominal pain, which may go through to the back and be very severe, and vomiting. The mechanism is thought to be due to the action of some of the digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas digesting itself. In many cases the reason it happens is unclear, but it maybe precipitated by excess alcohol, gallstones, infections such as mumps, trauma or as a result of investigations performed to investigate the function of the pancreas when dye is placed in the pancreatic duct via an endoscope.

While most cases resolve (though the illness can be unpleasant) some cases may be severe and complicated by blood clotting disorders, respiratory difficulty and shock, producing a mortality rate of up to 60 per cent.
 
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