Pancreatitis (redirected from Chronic pancreatitis)

pancreatitis

Inflammation of the pancreas, associated with alcohol, trauma, or pancreatic-duct obstruction. Activated enzymes escaping into pancreatic tissues cause irritation and inflammation. If it does not subside, bleeding, tissue death and scarring, pus formation, and infection may occur. Symptoms include severe pain (worst when lying on the back), low fever, nausea, and hypertension. Acute cases are treated by controlling pain, preventing or relieving shock, inhibiting pancreatic-juice secretion (including eliminating oral intake of food), avoiding infection, and replacing lost fluids and salts. Chronic pancreatitis can destroy enough of the pancreas to cause pancreatic-juice deficiency and diabetes mellitus. Treatment may include a low-fat diet, avoiding overeating and alcohol, pancreatic extracts, and insulin.

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pancreatitis [‚pan·krē·ə′tīd·əs]

(medicine)

Inflammation of the pancreas.

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Pancreatitis 

acute or chronic inflammation of the pancreas.

Acute pancreatitis may be edematous, hemorrhagic, necrotic, or purulent. It is caused by overeating; by diseases of the stomach, duodenum, biliary tract, or liver; or by stenosis of the gland’s ducts. In acute pancreatitis the pancreas is digested by its own enzymes—trypsin, chymotrypsin, and lipase. When the gland’s tissue decomposes, kinins are released. They decrease arterial pressure and are a factor in blood circulation disorder of both organic and reflex origin in the pancreas. The kinins also cause bile to flow into the gland’s ducts, which damages their walls.

Acute pancreatitis may be marked by very severe abdominal pains, persistent vomiting, and collapse. Complications are peritonitis, abscesses, cysts of the gland, and diabetes mellitus. The disease is treated by narcotics, antibiotics, vasoconstrictors, and such antienzyme preparations as trasilol and contrical and by A. V. Vishnevskii’s paranephric novocain blockade. Serious complications are treated surgically.

In chronic pancreatitis, the gland’s external and internal secretions gradually become insufficient. The disease is treated by diet, antispasmodics, substitutes, cholegogues, antibiotics, and antienzyme preparations. During periods of remission, the patient may receive treatment at a health resort.

REFERENCE

Shelagurov, A. A. Bolezni podzheludochnoi zhelezy. Moscow, 1970.

O. S. RADBIL’