Pancreatitis is a medical term used for the inflammation of the pancreas. Pancreas is a leaf-like gland present behind the stomach in the upper abdomen. The pancreas produces hormones like insulin to control blood sugar and digestive juices that help in the digestion of food in the intestine. These enzymes digest the pancreas to cause inflammation which can be acute or chronic. Pancreatitis occurs in adults but the incidence in children is increasing. About 275,000 people get hospitalized due to acute pancreatitis and 86,000 people due to chronic pancreatitis in the U.S. every year.
These depend upon the type of pancreatitis you are suffering from but both types of patients feel pain in upper abdomen that spreads to the back. But they may feel pain in different ways:
When the pancreatic enzymes become activated in the pancreas itself causing digestion of its own cells, this results in inflammation. Repeated episodes of this acute pancreatitis lead to chronic pancreatitis. Conditions causing pancreatitis are:
These arise due to diminished function of pancreas and damage to surrounding structures as
Your doctor will ask you some question related to your medical history, conduct a physical exam and medical test to find the cause of your constipation
Blood test: Your blood sample is tested for
Elevated level of pancreatic enzymes like lipases or amylases
Level of blood glucose, lipids
Signs of inflammation or infection
Stool test: To check for steatorrhea (fat malabsorption)
Ultrasound – It is the safest and cheapest imaging technique which can be used to find gallstones
CT scan – It uses x-rays to create pictures of gallbladder, pancreas and bile ducts to look for inflammation or stones
MRI – It is similar to CT scan bit it doesn’t uses X-rays
The goal of treatment is to provide supportive care to the patient and then treating the underlying cause if any
Supportive care: The patient is suffering from pain, dehydration or infection. So, initial supportive treatment includes
Mild cased of acute pancreatitis with no underlying disease can be treated with the supportive care and rest.
Treating underlying cause:
Additional treatment of chronic pancreatitis: Depending upon the conditions of the patients, chronic pancreatitis may require
Patients having acute pancreatitis can recover completely despite being a life-threatening condition in some people. About 5% of acute pancreatitis becomes chronic. Patients having chronic pancreatitis are at three time more risk of developing pancreatic cancer than general population.
This post was last modified on July 14, 2023 1:02 pm
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