Guidance
This guideline covers managing acute and chronic pancreatitis in children, young people and adults. It aims to improve quality of life by ensuring that people have the right treatment and follow-up, and get timely information and support after diagnosis.
Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapies: In September 2024, supplies of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy were disrupted, so availability varies. Use the Specialist Pharmacy Service’s prescribing and ordering available pancreatic enzyme replacement therapies resource and tool to help identify equivalent licensed products.
MHRA safety update on insulins: In December 2020, we highlighted the importance of rotating insulin injection sites within the same body region, in line with an MHRA Drug Safety Update on insulins (all types): risk of cutaneous amyloidosis at injection site.
Last reviewed: 16 December 2020
Next review: This guideline will be reviewed if there is new evidence that is likely to change the recommendations.
Recommendations
This guideline includes recommendations on:
- information and support
- identifying the cause of acute and chronic pancreatitis
- nutrition support in acute and chronic pancreatitis
- managing complications in acute and chronic pancreatitis
- referral and follow-up
Who is it for?
- Healthcare professionals
- Commissioners
- Children, young people and adults with acute or chronic pancreatitis, their families and carers
Guideline development process
How we develop NICE guidelines
Your responsibility
The recommendations in this guideline represent the view of NICE, arrived at after careful consideration of the evidence available. When exercising their judgement, professionals and practitioners are expected to take this guideline fully into account, alongside the individual needs, preferences and values of their patients or the people using their service. It is not mandatory to apply the recommendations, and the guideline does not override the responsibility to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual, in consultation with them and their families and carers or guardian.
All problems (adverse events) related to a medicine or medical device used for treatment or in a procedure should be reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency using the Yellow Card Scheme.
Local commissioners and providers of healthcare have a responsibility to enable the guideline to be applied when individual professionals and people using services wish to use it. They should do so in the context of local and national priorities for funding and developing services, and in light of their duties to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, to advance equality of opportunity and to reduce health inequalities. Nothing in this guideline should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with complying with those duties.
Commissioners and providers have a responsibility to promote an environmentally sustainable health and care system and should assess and reduce the environmental impact of implementing NICE recommendations wherever possible.