Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas.

The most common causes of pancreatitis, accounting for more than 85% of all cases of pancreatitis are chronic alcoholism and gallstones. Other causes include trauma (such as from a steering wheel in an automobile accident), infection (the mumps virus being the most common), drugs (lasix and thiazides are the most common ones) and cancer.

When a pancreatic duct gets blocked for whatever reason, the pancreatic juices which contain digestive enzymes (and specifically, trypsinogen) will not drain properly into the duodenum. A build up of this stuff causes auto-digestion (as trypsinogen breaks down into the active trypsin), which causes the chronic pain of pancreatitis.

It is said that pancreatitis (acute pancreatitis or chronic pancreatitis) accounts for 3% of all abdominal pain in the U.K. It can be a serious condition, with very significant mortality figures if it is severe.


In the management of acute pancreatitis, the treatment is to stop feeding the patient and make him/her NBM (nil by mouth), giving intravenous fluids instead to prevent dehydration. As the pancreas is stimulated to secrete enzymes by the presence of food in the stomach, having no food pass through the system allows the pancreas to rest.

Important biochemical markers for pancreatitis are serum amylase and lipase levels. Amylase and lipase levels can rise to more than a hundred times normal levels in cases of acute pancreatitis.

Treatments for pancreatitis include the bland diet, which generally prescribes avoiding the following foods:

Irritants

  • Coffee (regular and decaffeinated)
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Black or red peppers
  • Chili Powder
  • Chocolate
  • Carbonated Beverages

Acidic Foods

  • Tomatoes and tomato products
  • Citrus fruits or juices
  • Peppermint
  • Excessively fatty foods

I guess that I had this, or have it, as the case may be, probably as a direct result of problems with my gall bladder. The only way to really confirm that this condition is present is through blood tests, at least, that's the most typical method of diagnosis. The blood tests need to be taken during an "episode", that is to say, when symptoms are present. The reason being that there is some product of the pancreatic problem that seeps into blood, and is easily traceable with simple, normal blood tests. However, if they just give you some tums and don't bother doing their job, you'll just suffer with a potentially very serious problem. That's what happened to me, anyway.

Depending on how severe it is, and the cause, it may never go away. I suppose I'm in the best situation where this is concerned, because it just bothers me when my gall bladder is doing the same, which means when I eventually do get it removed the problem should subside. If the underlying cause is something beyond control, even the bland diet won't help too entirely much.

This condition is characterized by severe pain in various locations, and may also radiate straight through to the back. It's quite agonizing. Afflicted may not be able to function properly, or move, without experiencing discomfort in its most extreme form.

Since pancreatitis is generally caused by something else, treatment consists of first pin pointing what exactly is behind it all, and going from there. Some people live with this condition their entire lives. It is also directly linked to diabetes.
My mother has pancreatitis, on account of having a large mass of malignant cancer cells growing inside her pancreas. When you have pancreatitis, your pancreas swells, putting pressure on all the other sensitive organs in the area, and causing lower back pain. The pancreas is also, possibly, the least accessible organ in the body. Hard for scopes to find. Often you have to opt for an uncomfortable and expensive MRI scan to even see the thing.

In our family it is one of those disquieting cases of Canada's health care system letting us down. They kept my mother waiting for her MRI for two months, with a cancer the leaves its victims with an average six to eight month life span...they were thinking of going down to the states and paying for it, when suddenly she was somehow bumped up a few weeks. Weird.

Alcoholism is one cause of cancers and pancreatic disorders, but many sufferers of pancreatititis (and / or) pancreatic cancer have lived some part of their lives with fumes from burning fossil fuels, like:

  • kerosene lamps
  • gas refineries
  • coal
  • natural gas

It's difficult to prove a link to the above factors but with all the research on environmental hazard and so-called free radicals there are a few antioxidant vitamin treatments out there that seem to help some pancreatitis patients - of course it doesn't cure pancreatic cancer. That takes chemotherapy and surgery, and has a very low success rate -- few patients make it to surgery.

In my mother's case, she grew up in the UK, and has stories of pea soup fog as like you've never seen - caused by coal fires. She also lived in Kuala Lumpur for four years, and there are lots of diesel vehicles driving around that part of the world...but ultimately, what does it matter where it came from; it's here. She's having chemo treatments. She's doing okay so far.

What a pancreas does.

Your pancreas produces insulin, glucagon and other hormones which enable your body's ability to use sugar. It also secretes enzymes and sodium bicarbonate into your small intestine where they join bile from the liver and gallbladder. These digestive substances break fats, proteins and carbohydrates into digestible molecules.

It is quite possible for a person eating a diet of sufficient quantity or high quality food to actually starve to death if their pancreas does not produce enough of these digestive substances.

An inflammation of the pancreas is called Pancreatitis.

While the pancreas is inflamed, it can be attacked by its own digestive juices. Mild forms of pancreatitis (oedematous pancreatitis) may resolve quite quickly, within a few days, without residual damage to the pancreas or other organs.

The symptoms of Pancreatitis.

If you have had continuous severe abdominal pain for 20 minutes or more, you should see your doctor as soon as possible, and raise the possibility of your being affected by pancreatitis with him

Typical acute pancreatitis is usually easy for a doctor to recognise. The clinical features are characteristic, and a simple blood test is confirmatory. One of the enzymes produced by the pancreas is called amylase.
In acute pancreatitis this enzyme spills into the blood stream, so that its level is markedly elevated. Raised levels of other enzymes such as  lipase can also be detected. 

Both acute and chronic pancreatitis may be diagnosed by physical exam, medical history, blood tests that measure pancreatic function, or measurement of the fat content of bowel movements to check for poor absorption. Sometimes x-rays, ultrasound tests, CT scans, or tests that use fiber optic cameras are used. 

Normal levels of amylase and lipase do not rule out pancreatitis, especially when the pancreas has been damaged beforehand.

As with all types of inflammation, the number of white cells in the blood stream may be increased. 

Acute Pancreatitis.

Acute pancreatitis is usually a sudden and severe illness when the pancreas rapidly becomes inflamed. Pancreas enzymes and various toxins may enter the blood stream in an acute attack, and injure other organs such as the heart, lungs and kidneys. However, the pancreas can return to virtual normality if the cause of the attack is found and treated. 

The most common cause of acute pancreatitis is gallstones. Gallstones, produced in the gall bladder, often as a result of rapid weight loss, can travel through the bile duct and become stuck at the papilla of Vater, which is the outlet into the duodenum. As the bile duct shares the papilla of Vater with the pancreas this blockage can affect the outflow of digestive juices from the pancreas, causing the enzymes to back up and irritate or damage the pancreas. 

Alcohol abuse is another common cause of acute pancreatitis. The alcohol acts as a poison on the pancreas, damaging it directly. People and their pancreases vary in their sensitivity to alcohol. Some people drink heavily for years with no ill affects on their pancreases being noted, while others suffer from a very light dose of alcohol. 

Once pancreatitis has occurred, alcohol should be avoided completely. Alcohol can aggravate pancreatitis even if it has originally been caused by something else. 

Acute pancreatitis can also occur due to poor drainage of the pancreatic duct resulting from partial obstruction by small tumours, and scarring and spasm of the muscular sphincter (sphincter of Oddi). 

Some people are born with unusual drainage systems such as pancreas divisum which can interfere with drainage.

Less common causes of pancreatitis are:

In 15% of cases of acute pancreatitis, the causal factor remains unidentified.

About 20 percent of cases are severe. The patient may become dehydrated and have low blood pressure. Sometimes the patient's heart, lungs, or kidneys fail. In the most severe cases, bleeding can occur in the pancreas, leading to shock and sometimes death.

Treatment for Acute Pancreatitis

Treatment for acute pancreatitis focuses on relieving pain and taking care of nutrition and metabolism. Sometimes a person will need to be hospitalised to receive medication and intravenous fluids to help rest and heal the pancreas. Antibiotics may be given if the pancreas has become infected
If the episode is severe, surgery may be necessary for drainage or for removal of part of the pancreas. 
If pancreatitis is caused by gallstones, the gallbladder may need to be removed. 

Some treatment is aimed at replacing large amounts of body fluid by vein. The pancreas and digestive system in general should be shut down to minimize enzyme production through the use of a stomach tube and/or regular antacids to neutralize acid production. Large doses of injected narcotic pain relievers may be necessary. 

If the attack has been caused by impacted gallstones, the gallbladder should almost always be removed Gallstones are usually easy to discover (by standard tests such as ultrasound scanning of the gallbladder). However, pancreatitis can be caused by tiny stones (sludge or crystals) which cannot be seen on standard x-ray tests and scans. They can be found by special techniques such as placing a tube into the duodenum (duodenal drainage) and stimulation of gallbladder contraction, or during an ERCP examination. 

Following an attack of acute pancreatitis, patients are sometimes given dietary guidelines to reduce the amount of fat in their diet and/or special enzyme medication to take with meals. 
Most patients recover from acute attacks of pancreatitis with no residual complaints; tests of the pancreatic function (enzymes and insulin secretion) and structure (ultrasound and CT scans) may return completely to normal. 

However, it is very important to look carefully for causative factors to prevent further attacks. Alcohol consumption should be avoided completely. 

Chronic Pancreatitis 

Chronic pancreatitis is different from acute pancreatitis. The inflammation and damage develop more slowly, and can become increasingly bad over time. The pancreas becomes scarred and loses its ability to make enough digestive enzymes and insulin. Thickening of the pancreatic juices may result in clogging of the ducts and from pancreatic stones (pancreatic calcification). These and damage to the ducts themselves (strictures) can result in aggravation of the pancreatitis due to obstruction. Sometimes the condition is already chronic when it is first diagnosed. The most common cause of chronic pancreatitis is excessive alcohol consumption. 

Chronic pancreatitis is confirmed by x-ray tests and other scans. Ultrasound and CT scans can show enlargement and irregularity of the pancreas, and areas of scarring. They also demonstrate when the duct system is dilated, or contains stones. When these stones are calcified, they may show up on a simple x-ray of the abdomen. A newer scanning test is called MRCP shows the tissues of the pancreas and the duct systems in more detail

Most patients with chronic pancreatitis have pain in the upper abdomen, which may also be felt in the back. This can be very severe and continuous, but is more often intermittent, and occurs in attacks, which are usually not sufficiently severe to require immediate treatment in hospital. A few patients with chronic pancreatitis never have pain. 

Over a period of time, chronic pancreatitis can lead to diabetes, calcium deficiencies or infections of the pancreas. It is possible for a person to have attacks of chronic pancreatitis over the course of many years. It may also stop the pancreas producing the enzymes that the body needs for digestion, resulting in a variety of digestive problems. 

Chronic pancreatitis occurs more often in men than in women. In rare cases chronic pancreatitis can lead to pancreatic cancer.

Treatment of Chronic Pancreatitis

As with acute episodes, the treatment of chronic pancreatitis depends on the symptoms. Most treatment focuses on managing pain and providing appropriate nutrition, which sometimes includes enzyme supplements to help digest food. If the chronic condition has caused diabetes, insulin may be needed to control the levels of blood sugar in the body. Patients are often put on a low fat diet and may prefer eating frequent, small portions of food.

Most patients with chronic pancreatitis are treated by abstaining from alcohol, and with medicines for pain relief, nutritional support, and replacement (by mouth) of missing digestive enzymes. Patients are normally advised to maintain a diet low in fat (less than 40 gm per day) when steatorrhea is present. Pancreatic enzyme supplements need to be taken in high dosage and with meals (often with medicines to reduce gastric acid). These help to digest fat, and may also sometimes reduce the amount of pain.

Severe Hemorrhagic Pancreatitis.

Unfortunately, some people develop severe hemorrhagic pancreatitis. This means that much of the pancreatic tissue is destroyed, with severe inflammation and leakage of enzymes, fluids and poisons. The pancreas becomes very swollen, and slushy; this is called a phlegmon. This may develop into a collection of fluid and damaged pancreatic tissue called a pseudocyst. If a pseudocyst becomes infected, it is called apancreatic abscess. Severe attacks of hemorrhagic pancreatitis result in lowered blood pressure and poor circulation to the skin and other organs. The kidneys may fail. Other poisons in the blood resulting from hemorrhagic pancreatitis can damage the heart and lungs. Inflammation in acute pancreatitis involves the whole pancreas, so temporary or permanent diabetes can result due to damage to the islets of Langerhans.

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