Acidity and GERD: Beyond the Antacid Bottle
Reaching for an antacid several times a week is not a solution — it is a symptom. Persistent reflux damages the oesophagus and occasionally hides something more serious.
Read articlePancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, most often caused by gallstones or by alcohol. Acute attacks can range from mild to life-threatening, and repeated attacks cause permanent damage to digestion and blood sugar control.
Symptoms
Not everyone gets every symptom, and the pattern can differ in older people, in people with diabetes and in children. These are the ones most often reported.
- Severe upper abdominal pain boring through to the back
- Pain worse on lying flat and eased by sitting forward
- Persistent vomiting that does not relieve the pain
- Abdominal distension and inability to tolerate food
- Fever and rapid pulse
- In chronic disease, weight loss, oily floating stools and new diabetes
When to see a doctor
Do not wait these out
If any of the following applies, arrange to be seen the same day. For anything sudden or severe, call 9281862028 or come straight to the emergency department at SIMS — it is open 24 hours and does not need an appointment.
- Severe upper abdominal pain with vomiting — attend the emergency department
- Abdominal pain with fever, breathlessness or reduced urine output
- Yellow eyes with abdominal pain, suggesting a blocked bile duct
- Repeated episodes of similar pain, which need investigation of the cause
Tests that may be advised
Your consultant will order only the investigations that change the plan. Most of the following are available on the SIMS campus, so results usually come back the same visit.
- Serum amylase and lipase
- Ultrasound of the abdomen to look for gallstones
- CT scan of the abdomen to assess severity and complications
- Liver function tests, calcium and triglycerides
- Blood sugar, kidney function and blood count for severity scoring
How it is treated
Treatment is decided case by case — by how advanced the problem is, what else you are being treated for, and what you can realistically sustain. Broadly, it involves the following.
- Hospital admission with intravenous fluids, pain control and monitoring
- Resting the gut initially, then a graded reintroduction of feeding
- Intensive care support for severe attacks with organ dysfunction
- Removal of the gallbladder once the attack has settled when stones are the cause
- Complete abstinence from alcohol, and treatment of very high triglycerides
- Pancreatic enzyme supplements and diabetes care in chronic pancreatitis
This page is general information, not a diagnosis
Pancreatitis can look like several other conditions, and the reverse is equally true. Nothing here can replace an examination, your test results and the judgement of the doctor treating you — and no medicine mentioned by name to a friend or relative should be started on the strength of this page. If you recognise yourself in it, book a consultation with the Medical Gastroenterology department. If a symptom is sudden or severe, call 9281862028.
