There are various diseases of the pancreas which lead to pain in the abdominal cavity. However, the pain is often not directly limited to the pancreas but is reported elsewhere in the body. However, most and most common diseases of the pancreas are painless.
A very serious disease of the pancreas is acute inflammation of the pancreas (acute pancreatitis). This is accompanied by acute, severe pain in the upper abdomen. This pain often radiates into the back in the form of a belt.
Also characteristic is a very painful abdomen during physical examination and a so-called rubber belly. Furthermore, pain can occur in the lower part of the thoracic spine, which initially resembles a slight lumbago. However, this pain changes and develops into a character of “getting punctured” from the back to the area of the head of the pancreas at the front of the abdomen.
The chronic inflammation of the pancreas, on the other hand, leads to recurrent pain in the area of the left upper abdomen, which is not colicky. These pains can radiate to both sides and can also be belt-like in the back. Often the late stage of a chronic pancreatitis is painless again.
A tumour disease of the pancreas, on the other hand, only leads to pain at a very late stage and is therefore often recognised and treated too late. The pain tends to be dull and also radiates into the back like a belt. The main symptom, however, is the increasing yellowing of the skin without pain (painless icterus).
You can find more information about this here: Pancreatic cancer and end stage of pancreatic cancer A pancreatic cyst can also cause pain in the upper abdomen. These too often radiate into the back. Depending on the size of the cyst, it can also cause colicky pain.
In most cases, however, pancreatic cysts remain asymptomatic. Alcohol abuse can also cause pain in the pancreas, because alcohol is one of the most common causes of acute inflammation of the pancreas (acute pancreatitis) and the most common cause of chronic pancreatitis, along with gallstones which prevent pancreatic secretion from flowing through the pancreatic duct. The pain associated with the acute inflammation usually occurs suddenly and is often localised in the area of the upper abdomen (epigastrium).
Relatively typical for an inflammation of the pancreas is a belt-shaped radiating of the pain from the upper abdomen to the right and/or left up to the back. The examination often reveals pain on deep palpation in the upper abdomen. In addition, a so-called “rubber belly” is often noticeable; this is caused by a mixture of defensive tension due to irritation of the peritoneum in the context of pancreatitis and gas accumulation in the gastrointestinal tract (meteorism). Patients with chronic pancreatitis, whose most common cause is alcohol abuse over many years, also frequently complain of pain in the area of the upper abdomen and with a belt-shaped radiance down to the back. However, the pain does not often occur as suddenly as in acute inflammation but is rather dull and recurrent.
All articles in this series:
