A small organ located behind the stomach, which helps in digestion, is called the pancreas. In many people, the pancreas becomes inflamed (swollen) over a short period of time. This condition is known as acute pancreatitis. The people who have severe acute pancreatitis can suffer from serious complications. The medical tourism companies in Kolkata provide the necessary support to the foreign patients who come to India for treatment.

Symptoms

There is often a severe pain that suddenly develops in the centre of your tummy when there is acute pancreatitis. There may be worsening of this pain and it can travel along your back. There are various symptoms of acute pancreatitis. They are:

  • Indigestion
  • Fever
  • Diarrhoea
  • Vomiting
  • Fast heartbeat
  • Tenderness or swelling of the tummy

You may feel worse very quickly on eating or drinking, especially on consuming fatty foods. You can get some relief from the pain if you curl into a ball or lean forward. However, the pain will become worse if you lay flat on your back. After you eat a large meal, acute pancreatitis caused by gallstones usually develops. When you drink an excessive amount of alcohol, acute pancreatitis can develop 6 to 12 hours after that.

Causes

There are different causes of the development of acute pancreatitis. In your gallbladder, some stones called gallstones may form. If these stones move out of the gallbladder and block the pancreas opening, they can trigger acute pancreatitis. If you prefer binge drinking, which means drinking a lot of alcohol within a short period of time, your risk of developing acute pancreatitis can increase. The other causes include:

  • The side effect of a medicine
  • Autoimmune pancreatitis (the immune system attacking the pancreas)
  • Mumps, measles or such other viruses
  • Accidental damage or injury to the pancreas

Diagnosis

There are various methods to diagnose acute pancreatitis. The following are some of the tests:

  • Blood test
  • Ultrasound scan
  • CT scan
  • MRI scan

Treatment

The treatment of acute pancreatitis is done in various hospitals in India and the cost is also much reasonable here. This facility attracts a large number of patients from the developed countries to India for treatment. The best medical tourism companies in India prove to be extremely helpful for these patients as they get the necessary information about where to get the best treatment for acute pancreatitis.

You become dehydrated when you have acute pancreatitis. The doctor instructs to give you fluids through a tube into your vein to prevent dehydration. He/she may also give you oxygen through tubes in your nose. You are also given painkillers to reduce pain and special liquid food mixture. Another important option is treating the underlying cause of acute pancreatitis.