Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects blood tests for pancreatitis to be available on the NHS.
In the case of suspected acute pancreatitis, a blood test will be carried out to confirm diagnosis. A blood test can detect signs linked to the condition, such as high levels of two chemicals called lipase and amylase. Further information can be found on NHS Choices via the following link:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/acute-pancreatitis/diagnosis/
In the case of chronic pancreatitis, it can usually only by diagnosed carrying out scans of the pancreas.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published Clinical Knowledge Summaries on both acute and chronic pancreatitis. NICE guidance on Pancreatitis: diagnosis and Management is currently under development and has an expected publication date of 5 September 2018.
The Clinical Knowledge Summaries are available at the following links: