About Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is a medical condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas. This inflammation occurs when certain digestive enzymes present in the pancreas start to irritate the pancreas causing it to get inflamed. The pancreas functions by aiding indigestion and processing the sugar that is ingested.
A dysfunctional pancreas will impair digestion of food and processing of sugar increasing the risk of development of diabetes mellitus. Pancreatitis occurs both in acute or chronic forms. While the symptoms of acute Pancreatitis come on suddenly and fade away within a few days with dietary and activity modifications, the symptoms of chronic Pancreatitis stay for a longer period of time and require aggressive medical intervention.
While there is no definite cure for Pancreatitis, treatment for severe cases is required with probable hospital admission to prevent any complications some of which may be potentially serious. This article gives an overview of the overall prognosis of an individual with Pancreatitis.
Prognosis of Pancreatitis
The overall prognosis for acute Pancreatitis is usually quite good with lifestyle modifications and dietary changes. It usually takes a couple of weeks for an individual to make a full recovery from acute form of Pancreatitis.
For chronic Pancreatitis, there are certain factors which affect the prognosis of an individual. These factors are age above 50, increased glucose level, increased LDH level, and increased while blood cells count, decrease in hematocrit, increased BUN, and decreased serum calcium levels.
The prognosis for Pancreatitis in an individual becomes guarded if the factors mentioned above are fulfilled. While the prognosis is excellent for Pancreatitis patients fulfilling less than three factors mentioned above, it becomes more and more guarded as the patient fulfils more factors.
On an average, the 10 and 20 year survival rate for individuals with chronic Pancreatitis is 70% and 45% respectively. Thus it is absolutely necessary for individuals with known diagnosis of Pancreatitis to maintain a healthy lifestyle, adhere to physician recommendations, and avoid alcoholic beverages and nicotine to avoid any complications arising out of Pancreatitis.
Also Read:
- Why Does Chronic Pancreatitis Cause Excruciating Pain & How Is It Treated?
- Q&A on Acute Pancreatitis Causing Abdominal Pain| Causes,Tests,Treatment,Recovery
- Pancreatitis: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Home Remedies, Diet
- How Long Does It Take To Recover From Pancreatitis?
- Which are the Foods to Avoid in Pancreatitis?
