Pancreatic Disorders

The most common types of pancreatic disorder are acute, chronic and hereditary pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. In acute pancreatitis, the organ suddenly becomes inflamed – usually due to gallstones but potentially due to trauma, alcohol use, medications, infections and other causes. Chronic pancreatitis, which is usually tied to alcohol abuse but can also be due to an underlying disorder such as cystic fibrosis, causes progressive destruction of the organ. Hereditary pancreatitis occurs as a result of pancreatic or intestinal abnormalities that are inherited. Pancreatic cancer is unfortunately one of the more common causes of cancer death in U.S. adults, due in part to the fact that it does not respond well to usual cancer treatments such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Symptoms of these disorders can include severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, bloating, fever, malnutrition, weight loss and jaundice.