Oily and pale stools
Oily stools is a common symptom of chronic pancreatitis and does not often appear in acute pancreatitis. There’s a clear reason behind this symptom: The pancreatic juice improves digestion and usually goes along with bile. Both substances are essential to have proper digestion, and when they are not in the intestines, there’s a poor absorption of nutrients, including fats. Fatty acids go through the gastrointestinal tract without being properly absorbed, until they are eliminated in the stools, which also looks pale when there’s a blockage in the bile tract, and there’s no bile to give the usual color.