There are two types of pancreatitis. Either type can be severe or possibly life-threatening. Complications are possible with either type. They include:

• Acute pancreatitis. Occurs when pancreatitis develops suddenly and resolves itself after a short period of time. Patients can experience one attack or multiple attacks, but the pancreas returns to its normal state after the condition subsides. Most cases are caused by alcohol abuse or gallstones (hard, stone-like masses formed from substances in bile [such as cholesterol or bilirubin] that develop in the gallbladder or bile ducts). There are about 80,000 cases of acute pancreatitis each year in the United States. About 20 percent of those cases are severe, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).
  

  

• Chronic pancreatitis. Acute cases of pancreatitis can develop into ones that last over a longer period of time. This occurs when the pancreas is scarred during an acute attack and cannot return to its normal state. Excessive alcohol consumption over many years causes 70 percent of chronic cases, which often develop between the ages of 30 and 40, according to the NIDDK. Chronic cases do not resolve and may result in damage to the pancreas, which can alter its normal structure and function. It may take many years of damage to the pancreas before signs and symptoms of the disease develop. Chronic pancreatitis is more common in men than women.