Acute Pancreatitis On The Rise Due To Alcohol Consumption

Researchers say increasing alcohol consumption may be partly to blame for patients suffering from acute pancreatitis. Acute pancreatitis is mainly caused by alcohol abuse and gall stones. It produces a sudden attack of severe upper abdominal pain, often accompanied by nausea and vomiting. An attack usually lasts about 48 hours.

Researchers say pancreatitis has a poor prognosis overall. Death rates have not improved since the 1970s because no major innovations in treatment have been introduced, they conclude.During the study, more than 5,000 people were admitted to the hospital with acute pancreatitis in Oxford, England. An increase in the occurrence of gall stones may have also contributed to the rise, researchers note.