
Unless you have had a problem with your pancreas, you probably haven’t given it much thought. However, this little organ plays a big role in your digestive health. When the pancreas becomes inflamed, it causes severe abdominal pain and other complications if not treated properly. Here, we’ll take a closer look at what the pancreas does, what happens during pancreatitis and what you need to know about this condition.
The pancreas is an abdominal organ located behind your stomach and provides two critical functions for your body:
During digestion, your pancreas makes enzymes that break down sugars, fats, and starches. Your pancreas also helps your digestive system by making hormones, the chemical messengers that help regulate your blood sugar levels and appetite, stimulate stomach acids, and tell your stomach when to empty.
Your pancreas makes enzymes to aid in digesting your food. In order to protect your pancreas from these enzymes, they are created and released in an inactive, harmless form. They travel from the pancreas to the small intestine, where they are activated and digest your meals. Pancreatitis happens when those pancreatic enzymes become active while still in the pancreas. Rather than breaking down food, these enzymes break down or digest the pancreas, leading to inflammation and organ damage.
Pancreatitis can either be acute or chronic. Acute pancreatitis occurs suddenly. Patients with acute pancreatitis typically present with severe abdominal pain and usually require emergency medical treatment. Some people who have had one attack of acute pancreatitis can go on to have several more attacks. Recurrent attacks of acute pancreatitis can lead to chronic pancreatitis.
Chronic pancreatitis is a long-lasting condition where the health of the pancreas worsens over time. Patients with chronic pancreatitis may have chronic pain, trouble digesting their food, and can develop diabetes. It is diagnosed by specific changes to the pancreas on imaging studies.
Symptoms of pancreatitis vary based on whether the condition is acute or chronic, and can vary widely between individuals.
People with acute pancreatitis usually experience episodes of:
People with chronic pancreatitis usually experience:
As with symptoms of pancreatitis, complications and outcomes of pancreatitis vary widely between patients. Acute pancreatitis may be complicated by infection, kidney failure, and fluid-filled sacs in the pancreas (psuedocysts) that may that may rupture, among other complications.
Pancreatitis is a complex disease with many possible underlying causes and risk factors.
If you have any questions or suspect you may have symptoms of pancreatitis, consult with your doctor or healthcare provider. If you are experiencing severe, sudden onset abdominal pain, seek emergency medical assistance.
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