How to Diagnose Chronic Pancreatitis

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1Recognizing the Symptoms of Chronic Pancreatitis

2Seeking Medical Attention

3Managing Chronic Pancreatitis

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Chronic pancreatitis is an ongoing condition where the pancreas is inflamed. Since chronic pancreatitis is a persistent condition, it can lead to severe symptoms and complications that could lead to death. Diagnosing, treating, and managing chronic pancreatitis is important for sustained health. Learn how to diagnose chronic pancreatitis so you can start treating it as soon as possible.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Recognizing the Symptoms of Chronic Pancreatitis

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   Monitor for abdominal pain. The most common symptom of chronic pancreatitis is recurrent episodes of abdominal pain. This pain can occur in the upper, middle, or left side of the abdomen. This pain may subside and then come back, and it may become more frequent as the pancreatitis gets worse. The pain may also be felt in the back area. The pain may happen all the time and affect your mobility and everyday life.

   • Some people have no pain at all. Some experience pain that lasts for a duration of a few days or weeks before the pain just goes away. The pain then returns again.
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   Determine if you feel sick after eating. Another symptom of chronic pancreatitis is digestive problems. You may experience pain when you eat or drink anything. After eating, you may feel nauseous and even vomit.

   • Those digestive problems can occur when you eat, but they may also occur randomly when you haven’t eaten anything.
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   Check for digestion issues. Another symptom of chronic pancreatitis is digestion problems. When the pancreas doesn’t work properly, the body doesn’t have what it needs to digest things like fats and proteins. This may affect your digestion and give you diarrhea.

   • Because the fat isn’t digested, it becomes part of the feces. This can make the feces be loose or oily, have an abnormally bad odor, and be pale in color. The feces may be difficult to flush.
   • You may also experience weight loss because of the problems of digesting food.
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   Look for other symptoms. Other symptoms that may occur with chronic pancreatitis are jaundice and signs of diabetes. Jaundice occurs when your eyes and skin start to turn a yellow color.

   • Diabetes symptoms include frequent hunger (polyphagia), frequent thirst (polydipsia), and an increased need to urinate (polyuria). You may also feel very tired.
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   Identify the risk factors. The exact causes of chronic pancreatitis are unknown. However, medical professionals have identified risk factors that can lead to chronic pancreatitis. If any of these risk factors apply to you, you may want to go to the doctor for a screening. The risk factors include:

   • Heavy alcohol consumption
   • History of smoking
   • Renal failure
   • Autoimmune diseases
   • Cystic fibrosis genetic mutations
   • Blocked pancreatic duct or common bile duct
   • Family history of pancreatitis
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Seeking Medical Attention

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   See your doctor. If you are experiencing any abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, or abnormal stools, you should make an appointment to see your doctor. Getting treatment before the condition worsens may help the condition from progressing and can help you sustain a healthier quality of life.

   • If the pain has gone away, you should still go to the doctor because it is common for pain to come and go with chronic pancreatitis. The absence of pain does not mean that your condition is cured or even better.
   • If you have extreme pain that makes it difficult to move or that you can’t handle, call emergency services or seek immediate medical attention.
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   Undergo imaging tests. There are multiple types of imaging tests that your doctor may do to get a picture of your pancreas. These tests are mostly noninvasive and don’t require the doctor to make any incisions. These tests may require you to fast or not ingest certain things before they are done, so make sure to ask your doctor what you should do to prepare for these tests.

   • During a transabdominal ultrasound, a handheld device is moved over your abdomen. It releases sound waves that help create an image of the pancreas and related organs.
   • When you have an endoscopic ultrasound, the doctor places a thin tube with a light on the end down your throat after numbing it. The tube releases sound waves that create a picture of the pancreas.
   • During magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), you are injected with dye and then given an MRI, which creates images of the organs in the body.
   • A computerized tomography (CT) scan is a 3D x-ray of the organs.
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   Get blood tests. Some doctors may start testing you for pancreas problems by ordering a blood test. In a blood test, your doctor will use a needle syringe to draw blood. The lab will test the blood to check how the kidney and liver are functioning, and look at levels of pancreatic enzymes. Blood tests are not common for diagnosing pancreatitis.

   • The blood test will also check for diabetes. Diabetes often occurs due to chronic pancreatitis.
   • Blood tests may also check for autoimmune problems that lead to pancreatitis.
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   Provide a stool sample. Your doctor may require you to give a stool sample, especially if one of your symptoms is abnormal feces. Using a stool sample, the doctor will test the levels of fat in the feces. High levels of fat may indicate that your body isn’t absorbing the way it should.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Managing Chronic Pancreatitis

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   Receive treatment in the hospital. If your condition is too severe, you may need to stay in the hospital. Your doctor can work on reducing the inflammation of the pancreas. You may need to fast or be fed through a tube to give your pancreas time to rest and recovery before you start eating by mouth again.

   • You may also be given pain medication to help with severe pain.
   • Your doctor also might recommend surgery that will remove stones that are blocking your pancreatic or common bile duct.
   • There are also other surgical options, including draining fluid from the pancreas as well as pancreatic resection, which involves removing the diseased part of your pancreas.
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   Make dietary changes. One way you can help manage your chronic pancreatitis is to change your diet. You should eat a diet low in fat since your body has trouble absorbing and digesting fat. Instead, you can eat a high-protein and high-calorie diet. You should also start eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day. Try four to five meals each day instead of three larger ones.

   • Try to limit your daily fat intake. Many doctors recommend eating less than 10 grams of fat with each meal. To do this, eat skinless chicken breast and fish. You may also replace meat with tofu. This also provides high protein content.
   • Choose cooking sprays over oils.
   • Avoid fatty meats, fried foods, nuts and seeds, and whole milk or full-fat dairy products. Avoid eating packaged baked goods, which contain high levels of fat, especially trans-fat. Avoid all foods with trans-fat, such as margarine.
   • Take extra caution when eating out. Fast food is full of fat and trans-fat, and even healthy-looking foods, like salads, may contain high levels of fat in the dressings.
   • Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. These provide vitamins and nutrients you may be deficient in.
   • You may be given vitamin or pancreatic enzyme supplements to help improve digestion and fight against malnutrition.
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   Stop drinking alcohol and smoking. If you have chronic pancreatitis, you should stop drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco products. Alcohol and tobacco damages the pancreas and causes more inflammation and pain. Continued alcohol consumption can lead to extreme pain, complications, and even death.

   • If you have pancreatitis due to alcoholism, you should seek treatment to quit drinking. Talk with your doctor about getting help for your addiction, seek out a group like Alcoholics Anonymous, or go to an addiction treatment center.
   • Talk to your doctor about quitting smoking. There are many medications and programs you can use to help you stop smoking.
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   Manage the pain. You may need to manage the pain of your chronic pancreatitis. This may begin with over-the-counter pain medication, like NSAIDs, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen. You may be prescribed stronger pain medication if over-the-counter medication does not help.

   • You may be sent to a pain specialist to help you learn how to manage chronic pain.
   • Your doctor may suggest a surgery where your nerves are blocked that send pain from the pancreas.
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