Acute pancreatitis can make the pancreas vulnerable to infections. Pancreatic infections are serious and require intensive treatment such as surgery or other procedures to remove the infected tissue. Pancreatitis is inflammation in the pancreas. Learn more from WebMD about pancreatitis , including causes, symptoms , diagnosis, treatments, risk factors, and prevention. Could you have pancreatitis ? WebMD explains the symptoms of both acute and chronic pancreatitis . Acute pancreatitis is an inflammation in the pancreas, which causes pain and swelling in the upper left side of the abdomen, nausea, and burping.