What are the early symptoms of chronic pancreatitis?

Everyone should be alert to the early symptoms of chronic pancreatitis, especially in daily life. If you experience abdominal pain or are accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and bloating, you need to go to the hospital for a comprehensive examination to identify the cause and treat it.

1. Abdominal pain

It is the main clinical symptom. The abdominal pain is severe, starting in the upper and middle abdomen, and may also be focused on the right or left upper abdomen, radiating to the back. If the entire pancreas is affected, the pain will radiate to the lower back in a belt-like manner. Alcohol-induced pancreatitis often develops within 12 to 48 hours after drinking and causes abdominal pain. Biliary pancreatitis often causes abdominal pain after a large meal.

2. Nausea and vomiting are often accompanied by abdominal pain

Vomiting is severe and frequent. The vomitus is the contents of the stomach and duodenum, occasionally accompanied by coffee-like contents.

3. Abdominal bloating

In the early stage, it is reflex intestinal paralysis, and in severe cases, it may be caused by stimulation of retroperitoneal cellulitis. The upper small intestine adjacent to the pancreas and transverse colon are paralyzed and dilated. Abdominal distension is mainly in the upper abdomen, and is more obvious when there is ascites. The patient stops defecating and passing gas, and bowel sounds weaken or disappear.

4. Signs of peritonitis

In edematous pancreatitis, tenderness is limited to the upper abdomen, and there is often no obvious muscle tension. Hemorrhagic necrotizing pancreatitis causes obvious tenderness, muscle tension and rebound pain, which may be widespread or extend to the entire abdomen.

5. Others

In the early stage, the fever is often moderate, about 38°C. Patients with cholangitis may experience chills and high fever. When pancreatic necrosis is accompanied by infection, high fever is one of the main symptoms. Jaundice may occur in biliary pancreatitis or due to compression of the common bile duct by an edematous head of the pancreas.