What is pancreatitis? Explaining Travis Barker’s health scare

Travis Barker had fans concerned when he was rushed to the West Hills Hospital and Medical Center with “extreme stomach pain” Tuesday after cryptically tweeting ”God save me.”

“Barely able to walk” upon admission to the hospital with new wife Kourtney Kardashian watching over him, the 46-year-old rock dummer was later diagnosed with pancreatitis.

“Kourtney won’t leave his side,” sources told People magazine of the reality TV star, 43. “Kourtney was worried yesterday. They both were.”

Barker was transported later Tuesday to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for additional care, according to medical staff.

The Blink-182 beat keeper and Machine Gun Kelly collaborator was diagnosed with the condition following a recent colonoscopy procedure.

TMZ initially reported Barker’s pancreas became inflamed due to a recent colonoscopy procedure, but it has not yet been confirmed.

No comments have been made yet about Barker’s hospital stay or condition.

What is pancreatitis?

The pancreas is a gland that has two main functions: to break down food and control your body’s blood sugar levels.

Pancreatitis occurs when the pancreas becomes inflamed, usually when digestive juices or enzymes attack the pancreas.

There are two types of pancreatitis: acute, which is sudden and lasts a short time, and chronic, which is long-lasting and comes and goes.

Mild cases of pancreatitis improve with treatment, but more severe cases can cause life-threatening complications.

How common is it?

Chronic pancreatitis affects about 50 in 100,000 people, according to the National Pancreas Foundation. Acute pancreatitis is not common, with around 275,000 hospital stays each year due to this in the United States.

According to the Mayo Clinic, alcohol abuse and gallstones (a small, hard crystalline mass formed abnormally in the gallbladder) are the main two causes of pancreatitis.

Science Direct reported that pancreatitis is a rare potential complication for patients that develops after a coloscopy.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms will differ from person to person, but most people report severe stomach pain (that may spread from your back to your chest), as well as nausea, vomiting and fever.

Other symptoms include:

• Rapid heart rate
• Swelling and feeling sore or tender in your upper belly
• Fluid buildup in your belly
• Lowered blood pressure
• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)

Treatment for pancreatitis

Depending on the severity, treatment may differ but pancreatitis often gets better in a few days.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the patient is usually hospitalized and given intravenous fluids and pain medicine, as well as antibiotics.

In mild cases, patients can eat clear liquids or a low-fat diet, but if the case is more severe, patients won’t be able to eat or drink for a few days while the pancreas rests.

For people with chronic pancreatitis, doctors may recommend a change in diet, which would include low-fat meals that are high in nutrients.

Several publications have published studies about the death rate of people with pancreatitis, with a mortality rate of 4.5% to 5%.

Barker’s daughter, Alabama Barker, suggested something was seriously wrong with her dad when she asked her Instagram followers for “prayers.” The 16-year-old also shared a now-deleted photo via TikTok, where she could be seen holding his hand as he lay in a hospital bed.

Meanwhile, sources told People “he is getting the best care at Cedars,” adding that doctors are performing several tests and have put him on a modified diet.