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The pancreas is an organ located in the upper abdominal cavity, lying retroperitoneally. It is adjacent to the stomach and spleen, and the pancreatic juice produced by it flows out into the duodenum. It consists of three parts: head, body and tail.
The pancreas has two important roles:
– exocrine, producing a fluid rich in enzymes that break down food substances, and
– endocrine, releasing into the blood hormones regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism and regulating the functioning of the digestive system, such as insulin, glucagon, somatostatin
Pancreatic juice enzymes are secreted by vesicles as active forms (e.g. nucleases that break down DNA and RNA chains, starch-digesting amylase) and inactive proenzymes, which in the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract under the influence of appropriate pH and other substances are activated to a functional enzyme (these are lipase that breaks down fats, and trypsin and elastase that digest proteins).
Diseases affecting the pancreas are often serious and dangerous diseases, requiring hospitalization and multi-directional treatment. Belong to them:
– acute pancreatitis most often associated with gallstone disease and alcoholism
– chronic pancreatitis of a similar etiology
– pancreatic cancers originating from the epithelium of the alveoli that produce pancreatic juice or of the discharge ducts
– pancreatic tumors that develop from hormone-producing cells, such as islanders
– urolithiasis of the pancreatic ducts
bow. med. Aleksandra Czachowska
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