Is it normal to have a fever with acute pancreatitis?

Written by He Zong Quan
General Surgery
Updated on November 13, 2024
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Acute pancreatitis often occurs following gallstones, hyperlipidemia, and alcohol consumption. Patients with acute pancreatitis sometimes exhibit clear symptoms, including fever. This is due to the significant inflammatory irritation and the extravasation of pancreatic juices, causing infection and effusion around the pancreatic tissue. If not treated promptly, the fever may persist. Therefore, after diagnosing acute pancreatitis, treatments such as dietary restrictions, gastrointestinal decompression, enzyme inhibition, acid suppression, correction of fluid and electrolyte balance, and anti-infection measures should be taken. These treatments can delay or alleviate the progression of acute pancreatitis and help the patient's body recover sooner, thereby reducing the fever.

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Written by Zhu Dan Hua
Gastroenterology
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Acute pancreatitis clinical manifestations and signs

The clinical manifestations of acute pancreatitis generally present as upper abdominal pain, with some patients also experiencing fever, nausea, vomiting, and pain in the lumbar and back areas. In terms of physical signs, the main ones are abdominal distension and tenderness in the upper abdomen, with abdominal pain being the most commonly seen symptom in clinical settings. This pain is typically in the upper abdomen, persistent, and difficult to alleviate, although bending forward may provide some relief for the patient; some patients may also experience symptoms of vomiting. Diagnosis of the condition primarily relies on blood and urine amylase levels and imaging studies. Typically, an ultrasound and CT scan of the abdomen are completed, which can reveal typical changes associated with acute pancreatitis, such as effusion, etc. Treatment, for now, involves enzyme inhibition, fasting, acid suppression, fluid replacement, and other symptomatic treatments. Generally, the acute phase of pancreatitis can be controlled within five to seven days, but if severe pancreatitis is considered, the treatment period may be longer. (The use of medication should be under the guidance of a physician.)

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Written by Li Qiang
Intensive Care Unit
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What is acute severe pancreatitis?

Acute severe pancreatitis is caused by many reasons, including binge eating, especially consuming a large amount of high-fat diet, excessive drinking, obstruction of the pancreatic duct by gallstones in the bile duct, pregnancy, hyperlipidemia, etc. These lead to disorders in pancreatic secretion, resulting in pancreatic juices digesting the pancreas itself and leaking into the abdominal cavity, leading to symptoms such as abdominal effusion. It is classified as severe pancreatitis based on reaching a certain score in some assessments. Severe pancreatitis often accompanies dysfunction of organ systems, common examples include acute respiratory distress syndrome characterized by stubborn hypoxia and respiratory failure, acute renal failure shown by anuria or oliguria, and acute gastrointestinal failure, which manifests as high abdominal pressure and severe intestinal motility disorders, including abdominal distension.

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Written by Wu Hai Wu
Gastroenterology
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Can I eat lamb with acute pancreatitis?

Patients with acute pancreatitis must not eat or drink during the acute phase. Absolutely no binge eating or drinking should occur, as it can lead to gastrointestinal dysfunction, obstruct the normal movement and emptying of the intestines, and hinder the normal drainage of bile and pancreatic juice, thereby easily triggering an attack of acute pancreatitis. Alcohol must also be avoided, as excessive drinking can lead to chronic alcohol poisoning and malnutrition-related liver and pancreatic damage, reducing the patient's ability to fight infections and also easily triggering and exacerbating acute pancreatitis.

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Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
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Can you smoke with acute pancreatitis?

Acute pancreatitis is an emergency related to the pancreas. Smoking during this time is very harmful to health. Nicotine in tobacco directly affects the blood vessels of the pancreas, causing vasoconstriction and exacerbating pancreatitis. During acute pancreatitis, it is necessary to abstain from eating, not consuming any food, and timely use of medications is required to control the infection and decompress the gastrointestinal tract, providing parenteral nutrition. If acute pancreatitis is not treated actively, it can turn into acute suppurative pancreatitis, which poses a risk of shock. Therefore, it is best to be hospitalized for treatment of acute pancreatitis.

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Written by Zhu Dan Hua
Gastroenterology
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What department should I go to for acute pancreatitis?

Acute pancreatitis can be treated at the Department of Gastroenterology in local hospitals. It commonly begins with abdominal pain clinically, so it is recommended that patients first visit the Department of Gastroenterology. The pain from acute pancreatitis is primarily in the upper abdomen, persistent, and may radiate to the back. Of course, some patients may experience nausea, vomiting, cessation of gas and bowel movements, fever, etc. For such patients, it is recommended to complete examinations such as blood amylase, urine amylase, and lipase. When necessary, an abdominal ultrasound and CT scan should be conducted to assess the condition of the pancreatitis. Diagnosing pancreatitis is generally straightforward. As for treatment, it mainly involves internal medicine pharmacotherapy, fasting, fluid replacement, gastrointestinal decompression, and suppressing pancreatic secretion, among others. Of course, if complications arise, surgical intervention by the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery may be required. (The use of medication should be under the guidance of a doctor.)