Signs of pancreatitis
The difference between signs and symptoms is that symptoms are felt by patients, and signs can be measured by the doctor. Thus, fever in pancreatitis is considered both a sign and a symptom because the patient or their caregivers can feel it, but it can also be measured and monitored in the hospital.
There’s also a sign called muscular guarding, which is found by doctors in their physical exam when touching the abdomen. There’s a defense mechanism in the abdomen in response to pain that is almost involuntary.
Another sign is jaundice, which is visible by both patient and doctor and involves a yellowish color of the skin and mucosa. It is not always present because it only happens when the bile ducts are affected.
Other signs of pancreatitis include abdominal distension, dyspnea, hematemesis, muscle spasms, the Cullen sign, and the Grey-Turner sign, which only happens in severe and complicated cases of pancreatitis.
