Álex García Salas has become one of the protagonists of the current social panorama. The Basque has been admitted to Thailand for two months due to what seemed like acute pancreatitis. Although the man went to the emergency room in our country before traveling to Asia due to discomfort, the doctors reassured him and downplayed the problem.
After receiving the good diagnosis, the man and his wife decided not to miss the opportunity and flew to Thailand. However, the pain did not stop and got worse, which is why García had to resort to the Thai health system.
The case of the young Spaniard 'trapped' in Thailand for almost two months has alerted Spanish society. Despite the fact that he is already in our country (after several attempts to return without success) and that he underwent emergency surgery as soon as he landed, the man is recovering seriously in the ICU.
Álex García has suffered what is known as necrotizing pancreatitis, a health problem that results in the death of part of the pancreas. According to the UC San Diego Health Library, this part of the insulin-generating organ dies due to injury or inflammation. If the dead tissue becomes infected, this can lead to very serious problems.
Not all pancreatitis is necrotizing, but in the case of the 36-year-old Basque, the inflammation of his pancreas meant that part of the organ did not receive enough blood and oxygen to survive, which caused him very acute pain and a critical condition.
Among the different causes that generate this health problem we find gallstones or drinking a lot of alcohol, but it can also appear due to damage to the area due to the ingestion of certain medications, trauma or tumor in the pancreas, high levels of calcium in the blood, extremely high levels of blood fats (triglycerides, cholesterol), autoimmune diseases, inherited conditions that damage the pancreas, etc.
Necrotizing pancreatitis can include different symptoms: gradual or sudden acute stomach pain that can extend to the back area, inflammation of the abdominal area, nausea, vomiting, etc.
Many times it can be resolved through harsh treatment based on medications, painkillers and rest, but if there is an infection the patient will also receive antibiotics. If the infection is severe, it can cause sepsis that leads to death, which is why, in many cases, doctors do not hesitate to remove dead and infected tissue from the pancreas.
