Pancreatitis

Chronic Pancreatitis

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Signs and Symptoms

Most people with chronic pancreatitis experience pain in the back and abdomen. In some cases, abdominal pain goes away as the condition advances, probably because the pancreas is no longer making digestive enzymes.

Weight loss is often a symptom of chronic pancreatitis because the body does not secrete enough pancreatic enzymes to break down food and nutrients are not absorbed normally. Poor digestion leads to excretion of fat, protein and sugar in the stool. If the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas have been damaged, diabetes may develop.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated June 30, 2008