Pancreatitis attack in pregnancy

Pregnancy is characterized by an exacerbation of existing diseases or the emergence of new ones. Especially, against the background of compression of all internal organs by the grown uterus with the baby living inside it. Pancreatitis is no exception: the incidence of this disease is one case per four thousand women in labor.

Pancreatitis in expectant mothers can be primary and is characterized by the occurrence of inflammatory processes in the pancreas itself. At the same time, mortality from this disease in pregnant women is quite high, and its frequency increases in accordance with the increase in the waiting period for the baby. The mortality of infants or fetus with this disease of the mother is stated in 380 cases out of 1000, which is a high risk indicator for life. The lethal outcome for small creatures is due to the fact that with pancreatitis, premature birth can occur (much earlier than the term) or the placenta can detach, which also poses a threat to the life of the fetus. This situation with the disease occurs due to the complexity of diagnosing pancreatic dysfunction in pregnant women, as well as due to the rapidity of the onset and course of acute pancreatitis in expectant mothers.

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Reasons

An attack of pancreatitis during pregnancy occurs against the background of an acute form of the disease, which most often appears in the second half of the period of expectation of the baby. Although, of course, women are not immune from this misfortune at any stage of pregnancy.

Acute pancreatitis is caused by the following conditions:

• The expectant mother has a history of chronic cholecystitis – inflammatory processes in the gallbladder.
• The presence of gallstone disease.
• Constant overeating.
• Abuse of fatty foods, as well as fried, spicy, salty, smoked and other unhealthy foods.
• The appearance of excess weight during pregnancy or its presence in the expectant mother before conceiving the baby.

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Symptoms of an attack of pancreatitis during pregnancy

The attack of the disease itself begins because the pancreatic ducts are overfilled and the enzymes synthesized in this organ are released and cause severe dysfunction of the organ. The overfilling of the above ducts is provoked by the presence of stones in the gallbladder or compression of the organ by the high bottom of the uterus during pregnancy.

The released enzymes begin to actively damage the pancreas, thereby leading to the release of new portions of enzymes and deterioration of the organ tissues. These substances enter the blood and are carried by its flow throughout the body, which leads to a strong decrease in blood pressure, which is similar to shock. In this case, dizziness and convulsions may appear, and the pregnant woman will simply lose consciousness.

With such a picture of an attack, the condition of the expectant mother can worsen even without pain. This is due to the fact that damage to the tissues of the gland causes its edema, which neutralizes the nerve endings, paralyzing their sensitivity. Such a condition of the patient is very similar to the manifestations of eclampsia - a disease of pregnant women, in which pressure surges reach peaks that carry a high mortality rate for expectant mothers. Such a manifestation of acute pancreatitis leads to frequent fatal outcomes in women - up to eighty-three percent during attacks.

Diagnostics

It seems difficult to find out what is happening to a pregnant woman based only on the symptoms. Since an attack with painful sensations is characterized by the appearance of girdle pain and indigestion. According to such signs, the condition of the expectant mother can be confused, for example, with placental abruption or hepatic colic. Because the localization of the pancreas is quite high - in the hypochondrium - and during pregnancy, severe discomfort in this area can mean anything. Therefore, at the slightest suspicion of acute pancreatitis, a woman needs to do an ultrasound of the pancreas. It is also important to conduct diagnostic tests to identify the degree of activity of enzymes in the blood, which are designed to break down proteins and fats. These examination methods with a 100% guarantee will help to establish inflammatory processes in the pancreas, an increase in its size and diagnose acute pancreatitis.

Let's consider secondary pancreatitis in pregnant women, which also causes attacks, but is provoked by slightly different factors. This type of pancreatitis is called chronic and it occurs against the background of other diseases of the digestive system - gastritis, ulcerative diseases of the stomach and duodenum, inflammatory processes of the gallbladder or small intestine. The risk of getting chronic pancreatitis, as well as attacks of the disease against its background, increases if there was toxicosis in the first trimester of pregnancy.

The nature of the pain sensations at the peak state of this form of pancreatitis is encircling, as with inflammatory processes in the duodenum. Sometimes these pains can be taken for an attack of angina, as they are felt on the left and radiate to the left hypochondrium.

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