What Is Pancreatitis? Swedish DJ Avicii Dies at 28 Due to Illness

Acute pancreatitis is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas. It lasts for a short period of time but what causes it

Swedish DJ and record producer Avicii, known for his electronic music, was found dead on Friday, 20 April, in Muscat, Oman, his US publicist said.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Nonsense) 

Swedish DJ and record producer Avicii, one of the biggest stars of electronic dance music (EDM) across the world, was found dead on Friday, 20 April, in Muscat, Oman, his US publicist said.

Avicii, whose real name is Tim Bergling, was 28.

As per earlier reports, Aviici had stopped touring in 2016 due to health issues. He was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis due to his excessive drinking. In 2014, he had to undergo an appendectomy and got his appendix and gallbladder removed.

Even though the cause of death is still unconfirmed, it could have been acute pancreatitis according to some media reports. But what is acute pancreatitis?

What is Acute Pancreatitis?

Acute pancreatitis is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas, according to WebMD. It usually lasts for a short period of time and patients can recover fully post treatment.

However, in some severe cases, acute pancreatitis can result in severe tissue damage, infection, bleeding into the pancreatic gland and formation of a cyst. This condition can also harm the heart, lungs and kidneys.

What Are the Symptoms of Acute Pancreatitis?

Symptoms of acute pancreatitis may include:

• Swollen abdomen
• Severe abdominal pain that may get aggravated by consuming fatty foods
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Bouts of fever

Causes

While the exact cause of acute pancreatitis is unknown, some of the known causes include heavy drinking or gallstones. In other cases, certain medications, infections, some metabolic disorders may be the cause.

In 15 percent of the patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis, the cause is unknown.

Treatment

Patients with acute pancreatitis are often treated with IV fluids and pain killers. In some cases of severe pancreatitis, the pancreatic tissue dies and surgery is required to remove the damaged tissue.

When acute pancreatitis is caused by gallstones, surgery might be required to remove the gallbladder or the bile duct. The patient usually recovers completely post such a surgery.

(With inputs from Reuters.)