Alcohol is the single most common cause of chronic pancreatitis. Triglyceride levels greater than 1000 mg/dL (11.29 mmol/L) is another cause. Medications
There are seven classes of medications associated with acute pancreatitis: statins, ACE inhibitors, oral contraceptives/hormone replacement therapy (HRT), diuretics, antiretroviral therapy, valproic acid, and oral hypoglycemic agents. Mechanisms of these drugs causing pancreatitis are not known exactly, but it is possible that statins have direct toxic effect on the pancreas or through the long-term accumulation of toxic metabolites. Meanwhile, ACE inhibitors cause angioedema of the pancreas through the accumulation of bradykinin. Birth control pills and HRT cause arterial thrombosis of the pancreas through the accumulation of fat (hypertriglyceridemia). Diuretics such as furosemide have a direct toxic effect on the pancreas. Meanwhile, thiazide diuretics cause hypertriglyceridemia and hypercalcemia, where the latter is the risk factor for pancreatic stones.HIV infection itself can cause a person to be more likely to get pancreatitis. Meanwhile, antiretroviral drugs may cause metabolic disturbances such as hyperglycemia and hypercholesterolemia, which predisposes to pancreatitis. Valproic acid may have direct toxic effect on the pancreas. There are various oral hypoglycemic agents that contributes to pancreatitis including metformin. But, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is more strongly associated with pancreatitis by promoting inflammation.Atypical antipsychotics such as clozapine, risperidone, and olanzapine can also cause pancreatitis. Infection
A number of infectious agents have been recognized as causes of pancreatitis including:
Viruses
Coxsackie virus
Cytomegalovirus
Hepatitis B
Herpes simplex virus
Mumps
Varicella-zoster virus
Bacteria
Legionella
Leptospira
Mycoplasma
Salmonella
Fungi
Aspergillus
Parasites
Ascaris
Cryptosporidium
Toxoplasma

Other
Other common causes include trauma, autoimmune disease, high blood calcium, hypothermia, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).
In chronic pancreatitis, the fecal pancreatic elastase-1 (FPE-1) test is a marker of exocrine pancreatic function. Additional tests that may be useful in evaluating chronic pancreatitis include hemoglobin A1C, immunoglobulin G4, rheumatoid factor, and anti-nuclear antibody.For imaging, abdominal ultrasound is convenient, simple, non-invasive, and inexpensive. It is more sensitive and specific for pancreatitis from gallstones than other imaging modalities. However, in 25–35% of patients the view of the pancreas can be obstructed by bowel gas making it difficult to evaluate.A contrast-enhanced CT scan is usually performed more than 48 hours after the onset of pain to evaluate for pancreatic necrosis and extrapancreatic fluid as well as predict the severity of the disease. CT scanning earlier can be falsely reassuring.ERCP or an endoscopic ultrasound can also be used if a biliary cause for pancreatitis is suspected. Treatment
The treatment of pancreatitis is supportive and depends on severity. Morphine generally is suitable for pain control. There are no clinical studies to suggest that morphine can aggravate or cause pancreatitis or cholecystitis.The treatment for acute pancreatitis will depend on whether the diagnosis is for the mild form of the condition, which causes no complications, or the severe form, which can cause serious complications. Mild acute pancreatitis
The treatment of mild acute pancreatitis is successfully carried out by admission to a general hospital ward.