Pancreatitis: Symptoms, Severity & Urgency of Care

Pancreatitis = pancreatic inflammation. Ranges from mild to life-threatening.

Key Symptoms

• Sudden, severe epigastric pain radiating to back
• Nausea, vomiting
• Fever, tachycardia
• Abdominal tenderness, distension
• Jaundice (if biliary cause)
• Confusion (severe cases)

Duration & Severity

• Mild: Days, self-limiting.
• Severe (necrotizing): Weeks, organ failure, mortality up to 30%.

Immediate medical attention is critical. Diagnosis: lipase/amylase >3× ULN, imaging (CT). Treatment: aggressive IV fluids, analgesia, nutritional support, address cause (gallstones, alcohol, hypertriglyceridemia). ICU for severe cases.