CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Dr. Gregg Silverman joined 3NEWS to discuss the inflammation of pancreas, known as pancreatitis. He covers common causes of the painful swelling, a couple of likely symptoms and tips for those diagnosed.
When asked about who is most at risk of pancreatitis, Dr. Silverman stated that "certainly alcoholics are at risk... one of the top three causes of pancreatitis is alcohol." Other conditions leading to pancreatitis include gallstones, excessively high levels of triglycerides or calcium in the blood, and taking certain medications.
Dr. Silverman continued with advice for patients: "... the best answer is to do nothing ... Let the pancreas heal on its own." He elaborates that patients should be fed via IV and given pain medicine to allow the pancreas to rest and cause the inflammation to "come on down on its own - and it usually does."
It's noted by Dr. Silverman that pancreatitis can be fatal, and treatment is made harder by the fact that operating on the pancreas can often worsen inflammation. He clarifies, though, that intervention is often necessary: "Certainly, if there's a cause of this, like a gallstone, the gallstone has to be removed."
Regarding common symptoms, Dr. Silverman said that the most common symptom is pain: "It just hurts. It hurts in the center of your stomach; sometimes it goes back to your back, sometimes... it can radiate both sides. It certainly hurts after you eat." On the topic of dietary restrictions for patients, Silverman reiterates that alcoholism is a very important risk factor to pancreatitis, and suggests that anyone at risk due to the medications they take should talk with their physician about "workarounds" to the problem: "How do we do better here?"
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