Health Library

Acute Pancreatitis in Children

What Does the Pancreas Do?

The pancreas helps digest food by making enzymes that break down fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It also controls blood sugar by making insulin and other hormones.

How Common is Acute Pancreatitis?

Acute pancreatitis affects about one in 10,000 children in the U.S. each year. About one third of these children may have complications, including repeated episodes that can turn into long-term inflammation or chronic pancreatitis. This can lead to problems like trouble digesting food and a higher risk of developing diabetes.

What Causes Acute Pancreatitis?

Causes of acute pancreatitis may include:

• Gallbladder stones getting lodged at the pancreas drainage site
• Problems with how the pancreas is formed, including duct abnormalities
• Specific genetic mutations or hereditary pancreatitis
• Other diseases that affect the body as a whole
• Injury to the abdomen from a fall or a strong blow to the belly
• Specific medications
• Infections
• High triglyceride levels

In some cases, however, the cause of acute pancreatitis is not known.

What are Symptoms of Acute Pancreatitis?

Acute pancreatitis usually goes away quickly, within a week. But it is important to recognize the symptoms early and get medical care to lessen the risk of complications.

The most common symptom of acute pancreatitis is intense upper abdominal pain. This pain usually is much more painful than a typical bellyache. It can be constant, come and go unpredictably, and worsen after eating. A child may describe it as severe, or they may have trouble standing or sitting upright.

Other symptoms include:

• Back pain
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Fever
• Fast heartbeat

If you suspect your child is experiencing pancreatitis, call your child’s primary care doctor or go to a nearby urgent care center or emergency department for help.

What Problems Are Associated with Acute Pancreatitis?

Complications of acute pancreatitis can happen in some patients, and can include:

• Dehydration and low blood pressure
• Pseudocysts (fluid-filled cavities) in the pancreas, which can cause vomiting and fever
• Damage to other organs, including the heart, lungs and kidneys

How is Acute Pancreatitis Diagnosed?

Symptoms of acute pancreatitis can be similar to those of other illnesses, so making a diagnosis is often a challenge. Sometimes, pancreatitis is misdiagnosed as constipation, irritable bowel syndrome or heartburn.

To diagnose acute pancreatitis, a doctor will do a thorough physical exam and ask questions about the child’s medical history. The doctor may order:

• Blood tests to see how well the pancreas is working
• Tests that take images, or pictures, of the pancreas:
• An ultrasound
• A CT scan to check for signs of damage to the pancreas.
• An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to check for abnormalities in the pancreatic duct
• Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) to look at the small intestine, pancreatic duct and other parts of the gastrointestinal tract
• Genetic tests to look for possible hereditary cause

How is Acute Pancreatitis Treated?

Treatment for acute pancreatitis depends on the severity of a child’s symptoms. Children with mild cases recover on their own with minimal medical support in the hospital.

Severe cases require a hospital stay with close monitoring. During a hospital stay, treatment involves:

• Managing the child’s pain
• Providing IV (intravenous) fluids to keep the child hydrated
• Nutritional therapies that are likely to help with healing

What is the Outlook for Children with Acute Pancreatitis?

Most children who develop acute pancreatitis recover within a week and have few or no complications.

In most cases, acute pancreatitis does not happen again. Fifteen to 30% of the time, another episode occurs, and doctors will order more tests to identify the cause and help decide the best treatment.