Mr. V.L.K (30 years old, Long An) was taken to the emergency room at Xuyen A General Hospital (Long An) in critical condition. After severe abdominal pain, vomiting and high fever, he was diagnosed with grade E pancreatitis - the most severe level according to the Balthazar classification.
Mr. K has a history of heavy alcohol abuse for many years. A year ago, he was hospitalized with similar symptoms and was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis due to alcohol and alcohol withdrawal syndrome. However, he still drinks alcohol every day.
According to Dr. Nguyen Van Chien - General Internal Medicine Department, most cases of pancreatitis brought to the emergency room are due to heavy drinking. Regular heavy drinking will cause narrowing of the pancreatic duct, causing digestive enzymes to not be secreted into the small intestine but to stagnate in the pancreas, leading to inflammation.
Furthermore, alcohol also promotes hyperlipidemia, increasing the risk of acute pancreatitis. Acute pancreatitis is a dangerous disease that is prone to recurrence and can lead to death if not treated promptly.
Doctor Chien recommends that people who have typical warning symptoms such as continuous, prolonged upper abdominal pain, increased pain after eating a lot of protein or fat or after drinking alcohol should immediately go to a medical facility for timely examination and treatment.
In particular, people who have had acute pancreatitis should immediately stop risk factors such as alcohol, tobacco, limit raw, spicy foods, tea, coffee, animal organs and fatty foods. Applying a healthy diet, combined with regular health monitoring will help prevent the risk of recurrence and protect long-term health.
