Acute and Chronic Pancreatitis usually begin with pain in the upper abdomen and can last anywhere from a few minutes of intense pain to several days of pain that is anywhere from mild to severe. The pain from Pancreatitis can radiate into the back or other areas of the abdomen, or remain just in the center of the abdomen under the rib cage. It may be sudden and intense or start as a mild pain that gets worse as time passes or after the consumption of food. Other symptoms of Pancreatitis may include, but is not limited to the following:
• Swollen and tender abdomen • Pain just under the rib cage and sometime on the left side of the rib cage (location of the spleen) • Nausea • Vomiting • Rapid pulse • Fever (though this is rare) • Severe cases may cause dehydration and low blood pressure. The heart, lungs, or kidneys may even fail. If bleeding occurs in the pancreas, shock and sometimes death may follow.
