Pancreatitis - series—Indication

Overview

Inflammation of the pancreas, or pancreatitis, is a serious condition that is most commonly caused by either alcohol toxicity or gallstones.

Gallstones can lodge in the common bile duct and block the flow of pancreatic enzymes out of the pancreas into the intestine.

Pancreatitis due to alcohol toxicity is most often seen in people with alcohol use disorder. Most often, pancreatitis goes away with nonsurgical therapy. If a patient is too sick to eat by mouth, a feeding tube usually is placed to feed the gut as part of the treatment for acute pancreatitis. Also, pain medicine may be given to control the pain caused by pancreatic inflammation.