Chronic Pancreatitis

Chronic pancreatitis begins as acute pancreatitis and becomes chronic when irreversible scarring of the pancreas occurs. There are a number of things that increase a person's risk of developing this condition, such as alcohol consumption, smoking, genetic factors and other conditions or traumatic events that injure the pancreas. The pancreas may eventually stop producing the enzymes necessary for your body to digest and absorb nutrients. In its advanced stages, the disease can cause the pancreas to lose its ability to produce insulin.

Our Approach to Chronic Pancreatitis

UCSF offers state-of-the-art care for a wide range of pancreatic disorders, including chronic pancreatitis. Treatment for chronic inflammation of the pancreas depends on the cause, severity of the patient's pain and effectiveness of previous treatment approaches.

We begin by managing nutrition and seeking to relieve pain. If patients don't respond to these treatments, we may consider surgical options. Our team is highly trained in the latest minimally invasive techniques and postoperative care.

UCSF is one of just a few hospitals in the world where surgeons perform an innovative procedure to remove the entire pancreas and also transplant the patient’s own islet cells. This surgery alleviates pain while preserving the body's ability to secrete insulin, which reduces the risk of surgically induced diabetes.