Is it possible to die from pancreatitis? This question is asked by many people who have been diagnosed with this disease. To better learn about the consequences of an ailment, patients need to carefully study information about it. The article talks about the causes and characteristic symptoms of pathology, as well as how to avoid complications.
What are the functions of the pancreas?
This small organ, similar to a willow leaf, is very important for normal human life.
It is necessary to carry out the following tasks:
- Isolation of juice for processing nutrients.
- The production of hormones that affect the cells of the human body. The main one is insulin. This substance regulates the concentration of glucose in the blood.
As a result of inflammatory processes, the activity of the body is disrupted. Is it possible to die from pancreatitis? This question is quite natural, since the state of almost all systems of the human body depends on the health of the pancreas.
The potential danger of the disease
Experts say that in recent years they often face cases of death in patients with this disease. In 40% of people suffering from acute pancreatitis, pathology leads to death. The disease equally affects people of both sexes. However, the greatest likelihood of its occurrence is present in middle-aged and elderly men who systematically drink alcohol.
The answer to the question of whether pancreatitis is dying is generally positive. As a rule, a fatal outcome is observed in the first week of an acute attack. The most dangerous are hemorrhagic and mixed types of disease. Some believe that pancreatitis is an ordinary ailment of the digestive system, and take their health frivolously. However, inflammation of the pancreas does not belong to ordinary pathologies. It can provoke formidable complications. Only regular examinations and compliance with all the requirements of a specialist can protect a person from the tragic consequences.
Causes of occurrence
Why are they dying of pancreatitis? First of all, it should be remembered that a disease can lead to a process of tissue damage. In many cases, inflammation of the pancreas is associated with excessive consumption of products containing ethanol. Further destruction of the organ is observed even if a person gives up addiction. However, alcohol addiction is not the only cause of the development of the disease.
Other factors contributing to its occurrence include:
- Excessive fatty foods in the diet.
- Eating large amounts of food.
- Lack of exercise.
- Taking medications.
- Mechanical damage to the peritoneum, surgical interventions.
- Viral pathology of the liver.
- Mumps.
- Parasitic infestations.
- Imbalance of hormones.
- The presence of tumors of the pancreas.
- Pathological processes in the intestine.
- Gallbladder calculi.
- Emotional overload.
- Passion for strict diets.
- Bad heredity.
Is it possible to die from pancreatitis? How many people live with such a pathology? Patients are often interested in these questions, but they cannot be answered exactly. The forecast is determined by the influence of many factors. One of them is the patient’s attitude to the state of his health.
Varieties of ailment
There are several categories of pancreatitis. The disease can be primary, secondary, acute and chronic. The latter type, in turn, is divided into periods of deterioration and remission. Signs of pathology and their intensity depend on its type. The chronic type occurs against a background of an acute ailment. In this case, the patient's condition gradually worsens, and the tissues undergo a decay process. Another kind of pathology is quite rare. This is an acute inflammation of the pancreas. The disease is usually diagnosed in middle-aged men. The main reason for its development is the systematic use of alcohol-containing drinks.
People with alcohol dependence have a high probability of dying from acute pancreatitis. This is especially true for those patients in whom the disease was diagnosed at a late stage.
Pancreatic inflammation associated with drinking
Alcoholic beverages have a detrimental effect on the state of the whole organism, including the digestive system. The type and cost of such products do not affect the likelihood of an ailment. Pancreatitis can develop both from cheap beer and from expensive liquor or brandy. The main factor contributing to the development of pathology is the regularity of drinking. Is it possible to die from chronic pancreatitis that arose against the background of alcohol dependence? The answer to this question, of course, is in the affirmative. According to statistics, many people with a craving for alcohol have a fatal outcome as a result of complications.
Features of the acute course of pathology
This kind of ailment is characterized by the fact that the pancreas begins to destroy its own tissues. This process is accompanied by inflammation. Symptoms of the acute course of the pathology can vary depending on factors such as the age of the patient, the presence of diseases of the myocardium, liver, brain, kidneys, general condition and external influences. One of the first signs of pancreatitis is pain.
Discomfort is so pronounced that a person loses consciousness. Unpleasant sensations become more intense after eating, coughing. A person experiences pain of the girdle type, which gives to the region of the back, shoulder blades, right and left hypochondrium, chest. Often, patients confuse the manifestations of pancreatic pathology with myocardial diseases, gallbladder inflammation. A symptom characteristic of the acute type of pancreatitis is vomiting, which further worsens well-being. In the contents of the digestive tract, bile is detected. The patient rises in temperature. In the later stages of the disease, CNS disorders are possible, which are expressed in anxiety, hallucinations, tremor of the extremities. Do acute pancreatitis die? A high probability of death is present in elderly patients suffering from concomitant pathologies.
Other manifestations of the disease
There are several indirect symptoms of this pathology. These include the following:
- Yellow skin color. This symptom is due to the fact that the volume of the pancreas increases during inflammation. The organ compresses the ducts of the liver. In addition, a symptom may occur as a result of the formation of calculi in the gallbladder and the simultaneous development of pancreatitis.
- Bluish tint of the skin. The symptom is characteristic of patients with heart muscle ailments. It is accompanied by respiratory disorders. At the same time, the face, hands, feet are painted in blue. If such a shade is observed in the region of the upper part of the peritoneum and the left hypochondrium, it can be argued that the patient is in serious condition.
- Pallor of the skin. It indicates the development of a shock state, intoxication, the occurrence of bleeding and ulcers in the digestive system.
- The formation of swelling in the upper part of the peritoneum, bloating.
- Fluctuations in blood pressure. At the beginning of an attack, it is slightly elevated, and then greatly reduced. As the symptoms of chronic pathology develop, an acceleration of the heart rate, a decrease in body weight, a feeling of weakness and loss of appetite are observed.
Chronic course of the disease
This form of the disease occurs as a result of exposure to various factors. This condition is characterized by the gradual destruction of the pancreas, the transformation of its tissues, the formation of calculi and cysts. Due to these processes, the body cannot function normally, and nutrients are not absorbed. In addition, insulin production is impaired, which often causes diabetes.
Is it possible to die from pancreatic pancreatitis, which has a chronic course? The probability of a fatal outcome with this type of pathology is quite high. The disease is quite insidious. Sometimes patients do not pay attention to the occurrence of discomfort in the upper part of the peritoneum and attribute the worsening of well-being to the use of fatty foods and alcoholic beverages. However, pathology can lead to sad consequences, for example, to the development of a malignant tumor.
Diagnostic and therapy methods
In order to identify this disease, the following medical measures are carried out:
- Biomaterial analyzes.
- Assessment of the state of peritoneal organs using an ultrasound machine.
- Research using an endoscope.
The answer to the question of whether they die from pancreatitis, largely depends on how timely the diagnostic measures were carried out. If the patient goes to the doctor at an early stage of the development of pathology, he can avoid such consequences as necrosis of the tissues of the organ and acute inflammation of the peritoneum, which leads to death.
As for therapy, it involves the patient staying in the hospital. For about a week, a person is under the supervision of specialists who give him medications, put droppers to eliminate intoxication. After discharge, you must strictly adhere to the diet recommended by the doctor. You should abandon fresh bread, raw vegetables, strong broths. Patients need to eat cottage cheese, lean meat, cereals, some varieties of fish.
It is recommended to eat often, but in small portions. It is also necessary to take pills and herbal decoctions prescribed by the doctor.
Surgical intervention
Many patients are admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. Is it possible to die from this pathology? The answer to this question depends on how timely and correctly the patient was rendered assistance. If there is a threat of death, surgery is performed. The surgeon carries out drainage and excision of dead organ tissues. Then the person is transferred to the intensive care unit, where other methods of treatment are used.
In the later stages of the disease and in the acute course, it is difficult to answer the question of whether it is possible to die from pancreatic pancreatitis. Even after surgery, there is a likelihood of resuming tissue necrosis.
What does the forecast depend on?
Life expectancy is determined by such factors:
- Age category.
- The degree of tissue damage.
- Frequency of use of products containing ethyl alcohol. If a person has alcohol dependence, the answer to the question of whether it is possible to die from pancreatitis will be more affirmative than negative.
- Type of pathology.
- Complications
- Compliance with the doctor's prescriptions.
The question of whether it is possible to die from pancreatitis is largely determined by the combination of these factors.