Acute pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas. Causes, in order of frequency, include: a gallstone impacted in the common bile duct beyond the point where the pancreatic duct joins it; heavy alcohol use; systemic disease; trauma; and, in children, mumps. Acute pancreatitis may be a single event; it may be recurrent; or it may progress to chronic pancreatitis and/or pancreatic failure (the term pancreatic dysfunction includes cases of acute or chronic pancreatitis where the pancreas is measurably damaged, even if it has not failed).
Acute pancreatitis
Acute pancreatic necrosis[1]
Mild cases are usually successfully treated with conservative measures: hospitalization, pain control, nothing by mouth, intravenous (IV) nutritional support, and intravenous fluid rehydration. Severe cases often require admission to an intensive care unit to monitor and manage complications of the disease. Complications are associated with a high mortality, even with optimal management. For people with this condition, the pancreas will begin to secrete active enzymes such as trypsin, chymotrypsin and carboxypeptidase, instead of their inactive forms. Damage to the pancreatic ducts can occur as a result of this. Damage to the liver, gallbladder, and spleen can result in severe cases of pancreatitis.
Epidemiology[edit]
In the United States, the annual incidence is 18 cases of acute pancreatitis per 100,000 population, and it accounts for 220,000 hospitalizations in the US.[52] In a European cross-sectional study, incidence of acute pancreatitis increased from 12.4 to 15.9 per 100,000 annually from 1985 to 1995; however, mortality remained stable as a result of better outcomes.[53] Another study showed a lower incidence of 9.8 per 100,000 but a similar worsening trend (increasing from 4.9 in 1963–74) over time.[54]
In Western countries, the most common cause is alcohol, accounting for 65 percent of acute pancreatitis cases in the US, 20 percent of cases in Sweden, and 5 percent of those in the United Kingdom. In Eastern countries, gallstones are the most common cause of acute pancreatitis. The causes of acute pancreatitis also varies across age groups, with trauma and systemic disease (such as infection) being more common in children. Mumps is a more common cause in adolescents and young adults than in other age groups.