What is Pancreatitis?
Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. It happens when pancreatic enzyme secretions build up and begin to digest the organ itself. The pancreas is a long gland located behind the stomach. The Pancreas secretes digestive juices into the small intestine. The pancreas has two main functions: an exocrine function that helps in digestion and an endocrine function that regulates blood sugar.
Acute pancreatitis develops suddenly, most often as a result of gallstones or alcohol ingestion. Reaction to certain medications, trauma, and infectious causes can also lead to acute pancreatitis. Acute pancreatitis can be life-threatening, but most patients recover completely.
Chronic pancreatitis ongoing process in which the pancreas continues to sustain damage and lose function over time. The majority of cases of chronic pancreatitis result from alcohol abuse, but some cases are hereditary or due to diseases such as cystic fibrosis.
Symptoms of Acute Pancreatitis
• Severe, steady pain in the upper-middle part of the abdomen, often radiating into the back
• Jaundice
• Low-grade fever
• Nausea or vomiting
• Lowered blood pressure
• Clammy skin
• Unusual abdominal hardness or mass that can be felt
• Abdominal bloating and tenderness
Symptoms of Chronic Pancreatitis
Symptoms may develop over a period of time. It can develop acute episodes. In chronic pancreatitis, there is a decrease in the secretion of enzymes needed for digestion and absorption of dietary fats. Fat digestion is impaired, resulting in fatty stools. Recurrent abdominal pain may be accompanied by nausea and weight loss.
Symptoms of chronic pancreatitis include:
• Abdominal and/or back pain
• Weight loss
• Nausea and vomiting
• The onset of diabetes mellitus
• Pale colored, oily stools
Treatment
Treatment for acute pancreatitis may include nutritional support with feeding tubes or intravenous (IV) nutrition, antibiotics, and pain medications. Treatment for chronic pancreatitis may involve IV fluids; pain medication; a low-fat, nutritious diet; and enzyme supplements. Surgery may be necessary for both acute or chronic pancreatitis.
Enzyme Supplementation:
Enzyme supplements begin predigesting food while it is in the stomach. This helps reduce the stimulation of the pancreas caused by food intake. If a patient has a digestive enzyme deficiency, enzyme supplements help food to be better absorbed, which improves nutritional intake. Avoiding the stimulation of the pancreas also helps to reduce pain associated with pancreatitis.
Pain Management:
Many patients take a regimen of more than one kind of medication. Oral medications include narcotics such as Percocet and oxycodone, and these may be used in conjunction with non-narcotic medicines such as muscle relaxants and antidepressants.
Surgery:
Depending on the cause of pancreatitis, the patient’s anatomy, level of pain, and other factors, surgery may be an appropriate treatment.
If gallstones are the cause of pancreatitis, surgery to remove the gallstones and possibly the gallbladder may be required.
References
1. “Pancreatitis”. Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). 2018. Retried on 12 Jun 2018 from 7 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pancreatitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20360227
2. “Pancreas”. The American Heritage Dictionary of “The English Language, 5th Edition”. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. 2016. Retrieved on 7 Jun 2018 from http://www.yourdictionary.com/pancreas
3. http://columbiasurgery.org/pancreas/symptoms-pancreatitis
