Table Of Contents
- What is Chronic Pancreatitis?
- What are the causes of Chronic Pancreatitis?
- What are the signs and symptoms of Chronic Pancreatitis?
- What is the diagnosis for Chronic Pancreatitis?
- How is Chronic Pancreatitis treated?
- The Outlook
What is Chronic Pancreatitis?
Chronic pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas that can become detrimental over time.
The pancreas is a digestive organ that is located behind the stomach. It produces enzymes, which are proteins that aid in the digestion of food. It also produces hormones that regulate the amount of sugar in your blood.
Pancreatitis occurs when your pancreas becomes inflamed. Acute pancreatitis occurs when the inflammation happens suddenly and lasts for a brief amount of time. When the inflammation doesn’t go away or doesn’t heal for months or years, it’s labeled chronic.
Chronic pancreatitis can lead to scarring and damage of the pancreas that lasts a lifetime. Over a period of time, calcium stones and cysts can form in your pancreas, obstructing the duct that transports digestive enzymes and fluids to your stomach. The obstruction can lead to a decrease in pancreatic enzymes and hormones, making it more difficult for your body to process food and balance blood sugar levels. This can result in major health issues such as malnutrition and diabetes.
What are the causes of Chronic Pancreatitis?
Chronic pancreatitis can be caused by a variety of factors. Long-term alcohol addiction is the most typical cause. Approximately 70% of instances are linked to the intake of alcoholic beverages.
When your body attacks your healthy cells and tissues, it is known as autoimmune disease. Both Primary biliary cholangitis, a chronic liver illness, and inflammatory bowel syndrome, which is inflammation of the digestive tract, are associated with chronic pancreatitis.
Other causes of chronic pancreatitis include:
- Cystic fibrosis is a genetic illness in which mucus accumulates in the lungs.
- Hypercalcemia refers to excessive calcium levels in the blood.
- An autoimmune disorder, in which your body destroys your healthy cells and tissues; a narrow pancreatic duct, which transports enzymes from the pancreas to the small intestine; and a blockage of the pancreatic duct caused by gallstones or pancreatic stones
- Hypertriglyceridemia is defined as a high amount of triglyceride fats in the blood.
What are the signs and symptoms of Chronic Pancreatitis?
At the initial stage, you may not notice any symptoms. Only when it reaches the advanced stage is when you will start to feel unwell. Symptoms include:
- Pain in the upper abdomen area
- Diarrhea
- Nausea and vomiting
- Shortness of breath
- Unexplained weight loss
- Excessive thirst and fatigue
- Loose, pale, fatty stools that don’t flush away easily
As the condition becomes severe, you will notice severe symptoms such as:
- Pancreatic juice in the abdomen
- Jaundice
- Internal bleeding
- Intestinal block
Painful episodes can last for hours and sometimes even days. Some patients find that drinking or eating can make their pain even worse. The pain may become continuous as the condition worsens.
What is the diagnosis for Chronic Pancreatitis?
Changes in your pancreas are difficult to detect in blood tests during the early stages of chronic pancreatitis. As a result, blood tests are rarely performed to diagnose the condition. They can, however, be used to figure out how much pancreatic enzymes are in your blood. Blood tests can be conducted to determine blood cell counts as well as kidney and liver function. Your doctor may ask you to get fat levels in your stool. Fatty stools could indicate that your body isn’t properly absorbing nutrients.
The most reliable technique for your doctor to make a diagnosis is through imaging tests. To look for symptoms of inflammation, your doctor may do the following tests on your abdomen:
- X-rays
- Ultrasounds
- CT scans
- MRI scans
Endoscopic ultrasound may also be advised by your doctor. A long, flexible tube is inserted into your mouth and down through into the stomach and intestine in endoscopic ultrasonography. An ultrasound probe is placed in the tube, which transmits sound waves that produce detailed images of your pancreas.
How is Chronic Pancreatitis treated?
Chronic pancreatitis treatment is focused on relieving pain and restoring digestive function. Although the damage to your pancreas cannot be reversed, you should be able to control many of your symptoms with appropriate treatment. Medication, endoscopic therapy, and surgery are the current options for treating pancreatitis.
The Outlook
The prognosis is determined by the disease’s severity and its underlying cause. Factors such as your age as well as drinking alcohol, smoking, etc., can all affect your chances of recovery.
Early diagnosis and treatment can help to improve the diagnosis. If you see any pancreatitis symptoms, call your doctor straight away.
