--- title: "Acute pancreatitis: Symptoms & Treatment | HealthAnswers" description: "Acute pancreatitis — sudden severe upper abdominal pain, causes including gallstones and alcohol, and emergency hospital treatment." url: https://healthanswers.co.uk/conditions/acute-pancreatitis/ robots: noindex --- # Acute pancreatitis: Symptoms & Treatment | HealthAnswers Health A–Z Acute pancreatitis — sudden severe upper abdominal pain, causes including gallstones and alcohol, and emergency hospital treatment. Written by HealthAnswers editorial team Medically reviewed by [HealthAnswers UK doctor review panel](https://healthanswers.co.uk/our-doctors/) Reviewed 3 July 2026 ## Quick answer What is acute pancreatitis? Acute pancreatitis is sudden inflammation of the pancreas — usually causing severe constant upper abdominal pain radiating to the back, vomiting, and feeling very unwell. Common causes are gallstones and heavy alcohol use. It is a medical emergency needing hospital admission — IV fluids, pain relief, and treating the cause. Severe cases can affect other organs — ICU care. Phone 999 or go to A&E for sudden severe tummy pain with vomiting — do not wait for GP appointment. ## Who is this page for? This page is for people in the UK who want a plain-English overview of Acute pancreatitis, including when to seek help and what NHS care usually involves. It explains general information, not what is wrong with you personally. ## Who should skip this page? Skip this page if you need a diagnosis, a prescription, or emergency care. It cannot replace a GP, pharmacist, NHS 111 or 999. If you are in immediate danger, call 999; for urgent advice that is not life-threatening, call 111 in England, Scotland or Wales, or use your GP out-of-hours service in Northern Ireland. On this page 7 sections ## Key facts about acute pancreatitis - Gallstones and alcohol cause about 80% of UK acute pancreatitis cases. - Pain is typically severe, constant, epigastric, radiating through to back — worse lying flat, better leaning forward. - Diagnosis — lipase or amylase blood test three times upper limit of normal plus compatible clinical picture. - Most cases mild and resolve with supportive care — severe pancreatitis has significant mortality needing intensive care. - After gallstone pancreatitis — cholecystectomy recommended during same admission to prevent recurrence. ## Acute pancreatitis — pancreatic emergency **Acute pancreatitis** — **sudden inflammation** of **pancreas** — **autodigestion** by **prematurely activated enzymes**. **~50 per 100,000 UK admissions yearly** — **potentially life-threatening** — **hospital mandatory**. ## Presentation **Hallmark pain:** - sudden onset epigastric - severe, constant - radiates to back - relieved sitting forward , worse supine **Associated:** - persistent vomiting - fever , tachycardia - ** abdominal guarding** **Severe:** - jaundice — gallstone in bile duct - Grey-Turner/Cullen sign — flank/periumbilical bruising — haemorrhagic pancreatitis — rare ## Causes — GET SMASHED mnemonic (partial) - G allstones — #1 UK - E thanol (alcohol) - T riglycerides >10 mmol/L - ERCP complication - M eds, M umps (viral) - A utoimmune, S corpion (travel) - H ypercalcaemia, H ypothermia - E ndoscopic trauma - D rugs — azathioprine, valproate, GLP-1 rare ## Diagnosis **Requires 2 of 3:** - Compatible pain - lipase/amylase ≥3× ULN - Imaging consistent — CT if uncertain **CT with contrast** — **severity staging** — **not day 1 unless doubt** **Ranson/Glasgow/Apache** — **prognostic scores** ## Severity **Mild (80%):** - no organ failure - recover days to week **Severe:** - persistent organ failure — lung, kidney, cardiovascular - pancreatic necrosis — infected necrosis — worst prognosis ## Treatment **Supportive backbone:** - aggressive IV crystalloid — Ringer’s lactate — reduce necrosis - analgesia — IV opioids — adequate pain control - early enteral nutrition when tolerating — NG tube if needed — better than prolonged NPO - monitor urine output , oxygen saturation **Gallstone pancreatitis:** - MRCP/ USS — CBD stone - ERCP sphincterotomy if cholangitis/obstruction - cholecystectomy same admission once mild-moderate episode settling — NICE **Alcohol:** - absolute abstinence — dependency support **Severe ICU:** - ventilation , RRT , nutrition - step-up necrosis management — endoscopic/necrosectomy ## After recovery **Exocrine insufficiency** — **steatorrhoea** — **Pancreatin enzymes** **Diabetes** — **beta cell loss** **Recurrent attacks** — **investigate** — **genetics**, **sphincter of Oddi**, **continued alcohol/gallstones** **Epigastric pain to the back + vomit** — **999 not antacids** — **lipase in A&E confirms**. ## ! When to see a GP about acute pancreatitis Acute pancreatitis is an emergency — phone 999 or go to A&E for sudden severe upper abdominal pain with vomiting — especially after heavy alcohol or known gallstones. Do not eat or drink until assessed. GP role is prevention — gallstone management and alcohol reduction after recovery — and investigating recurrent or unexplained episodes. ## Common questions about acute pancreatitis What are the symptoms of pancreatitis? Sudden severe upper abdominal pain — constant, boring, radiating to back, worse when lying down, eased sitting forward. Vomiting, fever, rapid heart rate, swollen tender abdomen. Severe cases — jaundice if bile duct blocked, confusion, breathlessness (ARDS), low blood pressure. What causes acute pancreatitis? Gallstones passing through ampulla (most common UK), alcohol (second), hypertriglyceridaemia, ERCP procedure, medicines (azathioprine, sodium valproate), viral infections, trauma, genetics (PRSS1 etc.). Idiopathic after investigation in some. How is pancreatitis treated? Hospital admission — nil by mouth initially, IV fluids (aggressive hydration improves outcomes), IV pain relief (often opiates), oxygen if needed. Treat cause — urgent cholecystectomy for gallstone pancreatitis when settled; stop alcohol. Severe — ICU, nutrition via tube, treat organ failure. Antibiotics not routine unless infected necrosis. Can you die from pancreatitis? Yes — overall mortality roughly 5 to 10% — higher in severe necrotising pancreatitis with organ failure. Early supportive care in hospital reduces risk. First episode from gallstones usually milder than alcohol-related recurrent disease. What should I eat after pancreatitis? Restart oral food when pain and nausea settle — usually low-fat initially. After gallstone pancreatitis — cholecystectomy before discharge prevents recurrence. Long-term — avoid alcohol completely if alcohol-induced; low-fat diet if chronic pancreatic insufficiency develops. ## Sources - [NHS — Acute pancreatitis](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/acute-pancreatitis/) - [NICE — Pancreatitis](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng104)