Reactive pancreatitis: symptoms and treatment

Reactive pancreas inflammation is a process that is a kind of response to a negative effect. There are many diseases that can cause disturbances in the work of the body. Examples of such conditions include inflammation of the stomach, intestines, the formation of stones in the gall bladder, as well as excessive enthusiasm for alcohol.

Pathology Overview

Reactive pancreatitis is a condition that is characterized by a sudden onset and is acute. Its distinctive feature is the rather rapid elimination of symptoms after the start of therapy. The time of the patient’s recovery depends on how timely the diagnosis and treatment measures are carried out.

Reactive pancreatitis is accompanied by spasms inside the ducts of the gland. As a result of this process, the substances necessary for the digestion of food, which are produced by the body, are not secreted, but remain in its tissues. Enzymes destroy the mucous membrane, so painful symptoms occur.

By itself, reactive pancreatitis according to the ICD-10 does not have a code. However, there are several varieties of this pathology. Specialists divide it into types according to the characteristics of the course and the factors that caused the disease. Inflammatory processes of this kind occur in about thirty-five people out of 100,000 Russian citizens. Most patients with this diagnosis are representatives of the stronger sex.

Varieties of pathology

Specialists distinguish the following types of disease:

1. Iatrogenic. Appears due to surgical interventions.
2. Toxic. Occurs in case of poisoning.
3. Traumatic - a pathology caused by mechanical damage to the abdominal cavity.
4. Systemic Such pancreatitis is associated with impaired functioning of various systems of the human body.
5. Drug inflammatory process (appears due to the negative effects of drugs).
6. Reactive pancreatitis, which develops as a result of various diseases of the stomach, intestines, liver or gall bladder.
7. Pathology arising from an unhealthy diet.

This condition is also divided into several types, depending on the nature of the course. This is, first of all, the process of acute inflammation - K 85. There is also a form of chronic reactive pancreatitis of the ICD - K 86.

Factors that provoke the disease

What are the causes of pathology? Inflammation of the pancreas appears as a result of influences that interfere with the normal functioning of the organ. The main factors of this kind include the following:

1. Improper diet, the use of harmful foods: fatty and salty foods, a lot of spices, marinades, fast food, sweets. Dishes of this kind corrode the tissues of the digestive tract, which leads to disturbances.
2. Pernicious addictions.
   
   The composition of alcohol-containing products and tobacco includes compounds that cause the development of reactive pancreatitis, symptoms of pathology.
3. Medications. If a person consumes them in large quantities, without the control of a doctor, he harms the health of the pancreas. Especially this statement applies to funds aimed at combating harmful microbes, inflammation, and vitamin supplements.
4. Mechanical damage to the peritoneum, leading to a violation of the integrity of the tissues.
5. Strong emotional overload.
6. Infectious bowel diseases associated with exposure to germs.

A separate group of causes are various disorders of the digestive tract, blood vessels, viral pathologies.

Reactive pancreatitis is a very serious condition. It should not be taken lightly. In the absence of timely diagnosis and therapy, dangerous consequences can occur. A fatal outcome with the development of pathology occurs in about twenty percent of cases.

Characteristic signs

Speaking about reactive pancreatitis, symptoms and treatment of this condition, it should be emphasized that at the beginning of its development it does not manifest itself brightly. As a result of this feature, the patient tries to eliminate the discomfort on his own, without the help of specialists. However, the well-being of a person rapidly deteriorates within a few hours. He is concerned about nausea, a feeling of heaviness and pain in the abdominal cavity, heartburn, flatulence. Vomiting appears, consisting of particles of food, mucus and bile, as well as diarrhea. The temperature rises, which indicates the development of intoxication of the body. The patient loses his appetite, since the digestive system is not capable of absorbing and processing nutrients.

Unpleasant sensations are girdling. They become more intense immediately after eating.

Types of pain

Reactive pancreatitis can cause discomfort of various kinds. Patients usually complain of a burning sensation in the upper part of the peritoneum. However, the type of pain depends on which part of the organ has undergone the inflammatory process.

With the development of pathology in the tail or head of the gland, a person feels discomfort under the ribs. If pancreatitis has affected the central part, the patient suffers from an unpleasant feeling in the upper abdomen.

In a sitting position, the pain weakens slightly. Vomiting does not improve a person's well-being. If the pathology is caused by impaired functioning of other organs, it is accompanied by manifestations of the underlying diseases. For example, with cirrhosis, edema is observed, the liver increases in size. An infection in the intestine occurs with diarrhea and fever, and dysfunction of the gallbladder with a cut under the right rib.

It must be remembered that reactive pancreatitis in children is less pronounced than in adults.

Life-threatening consequences for the patient

Lack of medical care, non-compliance with diet and medication rules can lead to the development of dangerous complications. One of the most severe is the necrosis of organ tissues, which is irreversible. If a person suffers from signs of reactive pancreatitis, the consequences can develop already in the first day of the disease. Among the most likely processes are the following:

1. Inflammation of the peritoneum.
2. Digestive bleeding.
3. Shock state.
4. Purulent lesion of the abdominal space.
5. The formation of channels between organs.

It should be remembered that treatment of reactive pancreatitis should be carried out in a hospital setting. Only constant medical supervision and therapy prescribed by him can protect the patient from dangerous consequences.

Causes of the development of pathology in children

In juveniles, the disease occurs due to exposure to various factors. These include respiratory infections, intoxication, the use of drugs that are aimed at combating microorganisms. Also, pathology can develop after damage to the peritoneum or as a result of an improper diet (overeating, a large number of sweets, fatty, spicy foods, poisoning with spoiled dishes, skipping meals). Sometimes reactive pancreatitis in young children appears as a result of pancreatic defects that are present from birth.

Symptoms of a disease characteristic of minors

The inflammatory process in this category of patients, as well as in adults, is associated with improper organ activity and the production of substances necessary for digestion. The signs of pathology in babies are usually less vivid than in older children.

A burning sensation in the abdomen is a cause for alarm. An urgent need to contact a medical institution. After all, parents are not able to establish a diagnosis and conduct competent therapy.

With reactive pancreatitis in children , the following symptoms are observed:

1. Vomiting, after which the state of health does not improve.
2. A yellowish skin tone.
3. Light stool, dark colored urine.
4. Heat.
5. Delayed bowel movements (in some cases).
6. Tearfulness, loss of appetite in infants.

How do parents act?

First of all, when symptoms of reactive pancreatitis appear, you need to call the ambulance service. Before the doctor arrives, the child is put to bed, they provide a calm environment.

If the condition of the small patient is serious, the doctor sends him to the hospital. In a hospital, doctors carry out research, analysis and examination to clarify the causes of the disease.

Surgery for this pathology is not performed. Therapy involves taking medications aimed at making you feel better. These are drugs that help get rid of vomiting, discomfort, and so on.

After treatment in the hospital, parents need to pay special attention to the diet of the child. Proper nutrition plays an important role, because in case of non-compliance with recommendations there is a high probability of developing a chronic disease. If the baby attends kindergarten or school, the mother and father must inform the educators which products can be consumed and what is strictly prohibited.

Diagnostic measures

If symptoms characteristic of reactive pancreatitis occur, the patient is referred for examination.

It includes:

1. Different types of analyzes of biological material (blood and urine).
2. Assessment of the digestive system using ultrasound.
3. A study using a tomograph.
4. The introduction of a laparascope into the abdominal cavity.
5. FGDS.
6. Examination of the bile duct using x-rays.

Therapy

Speaking about a disease such as reactive pancreatitis, symptoms and treatment, it should be emphasized that therapy depends on the factors that caused the disorder. For example, if there are stones in the gallbladder, surgery is performed, and in the presence of alcohol dependence, the patient is saved from the effects of ethanol poisoning.

In general, funds are aimed at combating cramping, discomfort and disorders of the gland. The patient is also prescribed drugs that promote the discharge of fluids and toxic compounds. Sometimes it is recommended to take medications that destroy harmful microorganisms.

Treatment of reactive pancreatitis in children and adults requires a special diet. The patient is advised to eat five times a day, the food should be non-greasy, steamed, in crushed, mashed form.

Dishes with spices and a large amount of salt, soda, alcohol-containing products, strong coffee and chocolate are excluded. Meat and fish are better to choose lean varieties. Fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as sugar and pastries (cakes, waffles, pastries) should be strictly limited or even excluded. Useful products for this disease include:

1. First cereal dishes, such as rice.
2. Beef cutlets, lean meat in the form of mashed potatoes.
3. Omelets cooked in an oven.
4. Boiled fish and chicken.
5. Rusks, biscuits.
6. Low fat yogurt.
7. Mashed vegetables.
8. Compotes, jelly, unsweetened juices and herbal decoctions, mineral water without gas bubbles.