The pancreas is a small organ that plays extremely important roles in the body. Unfortunately, we only remember it when we begin to feel disturbing ailments. For this reason, we decided to check which symptoms most often concern the diseased pancreas. When to do preventive examinations?

  1. Pancreatic diseases are most often the result of an inadequate diet, which includes fast-food and alcohol
  2. Symptoms of a diseased pancreas include not only severe abdominal pain but also diarrhea that causes weight loss
  3. If the symptoms are not one-off, it is necessary to control the work of the pancreas and visit a gastroenterologist
  4. You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page

What functions does the pancreas perform?

The pancreas is a narrow organ, not more than 20 cm long and about 3 cm thick. It is located in the epigastrium at the level of the first and second vertebrae of the lumbar spine.

The pancreas is made up primarily of small vesicles that perform exocrine and endocrine functions. Hormone-producing cells are located on the so-called the islands of Langerhans. Beta cells are responsible for the production of insulin that lowers glucose, alpha cells – for the production of glucagon, which raises blood sugar, and delta cells – for the production of somatostatin, which inhibits insulin secretion.

The editorial board recommends: When is it worth doing an insulin curve?

The pancreas also produces pancreatic juice containing enzymes that allow the digestion of certain compounds:

  1. trypsogen and chymotrypsogen break down proteins, 
  2. ribonuclease and deoxyribonuclease break down nucleic acids, 
  3. pancreatic lipase breaks down fats, 
  4. pancreatic amylase breaks down sugars. 

The most common diseases of the pancreas

The most common diseases affecting the pancreas include:

  1. acute pancreatitis (acute pancreatitis) – an acute inflammatory process that may be mild or necrotic. It includes not only the pancreas but also other organs; 
  2. chronic pancreatitis (CP) – a chronic inflammation involving the pancreatic parenchyma. It leads to irreversible changes; 
  3. pancreatic stones – stones are formed in the pancreatic tract that impede the flow of juice into the digestive tract; 
  4. pancreatic cancer – a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas is very often diagnosed in the last stage of the disease, because it does not give any symptoms for a long time. 

The most common causes of a diseased pancreas

Among the most common causes of pancreatic disease is an unhealthy diet, including fast-food, smoking, and alcohol abuse. For this reason, pancreatic ailments usually appear in middle age (around 40).

  1. Alcohol “flushes” these vitamins and minerals out of the body. Be careful!

In addition, diseases of this organ are favored by genetic predisposition as well as comorbidities such as diabetes or gallstone disease.

Symptoms of a diseased pancreas – abdominal pain

Abdominal pain is the most common symptom of a diseased pancreas located in the epigastric or mesogastrium part. It can radiate to the spine. It occurs immediately after a meal or spontaneously. Most often, abdominal pain is acute. In the event of developing inflammation, it may take several hours. It is accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

Symptoms of a diseased pancreas – fatty diarrhea

Another symptom of a diseased pancreas is fatty diarrhea, which is characterized by noticeable traces of fat in the stool. Stools can cause weight loss, which is also one of the symptoms of pancreatic dysfunction. In addition, you will notice that your urine is dark in color.

Diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic diseases

Disturbing symptoms should not be ignored. It is worth analyzing the condition of the pancreas – you can buy the test package offered by the patient at Medonet Market. Among them is the determination of the level of amylase and lipase, as well as the determination of the tumor marker.

The next step is to visit a gastroenterologist who, based on the results of tests of individual enzymes, may order computed tomography, ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging of the pancreas. Treatment of a diseased pancreas can be pharmacological or surgical. It largely depends on the patient’s health and the severity of the disease.

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