Question: What are the symptoms of pancreatitis?
Answer: The main symptom of acute and chronic pancreatitis is

pain in your upperabdomenthat may spread to your back

People with acute or chronic pancreatitis may feel the pain in different ways.

Acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis usually starts with pain that

begins slowly or suddenly in your upper abdomen
sometimes spreads to your back
can be mild or severe
may last for several days

Other symptoms may include

fever
nauseaandvomiting
fast heartbeat
swollen or tender abdomen

People with acute pancreatitis usually look and feel seriously ill and need to see a doctor right away.

Chronic pancreatitis

Most people with chronic pancreatitis

feel pain in the upper abdomen, although some people have no pain at all.

The pain may

spread to your back
become constant and severe
become worse after eating
go away as your condition gets worse

People with chronic pancreatitis may not have symptoms until they have complications.

Other symptoms may include

diarrhea
nausea
greasy, foul-smellingstools
vomiting
weight loss
Question: Seek care right away for pancreatitis
Answer: Seek care right away for the following symptoms of severe pancreatitis:

pain or tenderness in the abdomen that is severe or becomes worse
nausea and vomiting
fever or chills
fast heartbeat
shortness of breath
yellowish color of the skin or whites of the eyes, called jaundice

These symptoms may be a sign of

serious infection
inflammation
blockage of the pancreas, gallbladder, or abileandpancreatic duct

Left untreated, these problems can be fatal.
Question: What causes pancreatitis?
Answer: The most common causes of both acute and chronic pancreatitis are

gallstones
heavy alcohol use
genetic disordersof your pancreas
some medicines

Other causes include

infections, such asvirusesorparasites
injury to your abdomen
pancreatic cancer
having a procedure calledendoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)to treat another condition
pancreas divisum

Acute pancreatitis

The most common cause of acute pancreatitis is having gallstones.

Gallstones cause inflammation of your pancreas as stones pass through and get stuck in a bile or pancreatic duct. This condition is called gallstone pancreatitis.

Chronic pancreatitis

The most common causes of chronic pancreatitis are

heavy alcohol use
genetic disorders of your pancreas

Other causes include

blockage in your pancreatic duct
high levels of blood fats, called lipids
high level ofcalciumin your blood

In many cases, doctors can’t find the cause of pancreatitis. This is called idiopathic pancreatitis.