Three Most Common Pancreatic Problems One Must Know About

The pancreas is a major organ that plays a key role in digestion. During the digestion process, the pancreas creates juices known as enzymes. These enzymes crush starches, sugars, and fats and aid the digestive system by creating hormones, chemical messengers that move through the blood in the body. Pancreatic hormones help correct appetite and maintain the level of blood sugar, impact stomach acids, and notify the stomach when to clean. It is very important to keep the pancreas healthy in order to keep the digestive system working properly. Here are the three most common pancreatic problems everyone must know about.

Pancreatitis

This problem occurs when the pancreas gets inflamed. It is a painful condition where the digestive enzymes that pancreas create attack the pancreas and cause abdominal pain. The major reason for acute pancreatitis is gall stones, obstructing the bile duct. Chronic pancreatitis can lead to malnutrition and diarrhoea. 

Diabetes

In case the pancreatic beta cells in a person’s body do not create sufficient insulin or when the body cannot utilise the insulin that pancreas produces, it may develop diabetes, causing gastroparesis, a decrease in the function of the digestive system. When an individual does not have sufficient insulin and have a diet with high carbohydrates, their sugar level can increase and cause signs such as weight loss and hunger. After a few years, it can lead to kidney and heart illness among other health issues. 

Pancreatic cancer

Around 90% of pancreatic cancers start in the cells that create enzymes for digestion support. Not receiving sufficient pancreatic enzymes for regular digestion is a common condition in pancreatic cancer. The signs and symptoms of this condition may include indigestion, appetite, weight loss, and fatty stools.

The pancreas is crucial for food digestion and balancing the usage of sugar for energy after digestion. In case, a person feels any signs like abdominal pain, weight loss, loss of appetite and others, they must visit a doctor. They can contact the best Pancreas specialist at Gangaram hospital or other reputed hospitals.

Prime Functions of the Pancreas

The Pancreas is a large flattened gland that is located in the abdomen, just next to the small intestine. It is one of the most crucial components of the digestive system, and plays a prime role in controlling the blood sugar levels in the body. It also assists in converting the consumed food into the essential fuel required by the body cells.

Two of the prime functions of pancreas:

· Exocrine Function: The Pancreas feature exocrine glands that produce enzymes that are crucial in the digestion process. These enzymes contain lipase for breaking down fats, amylase for carbohydrate digestion, and also chymotrypsin and trypsin for the digestion of proteins. These pancreatic juices are subsequently released into a system of ducts when food enters the stomach. The pancreatic duct then joins the common bile duct, forming the ampulla of Vater.  This ampulla is located in the duodenum, and the pancreatic juices released into it help the body to digest fats, carbohydrate and proteins.

· Endocrine Function: The endocrine elements of the pancreas include the islet cells that release crucial hormones like glucagon and insulin directly into the bloodstream. These hormones assist in balancing the blood sugar levels in the body, which is vital in the proper functioning of various organs, including kidneys, liver and brain.  

Being an extremely crucial gland of the body, you should ideally contact the best pancreas specialist in Gangaram hospital and other such renowned healthcare facilities of the country in case you face any problems relating to it. One of the most common ailments related to this gland is Pancreatitis, in which essentially the pancreas becomes inflamed. This ailment essentially develops when the vital digestive enzymes get activated before being released into the small intestines, and they subsequently start attacking the pancreas.

Pancreatitis can be of two types, namely acute and chronic pancreatitis. Some of their symptoms are:

Acute pancreatitis symptoms:

· High abdominal pain

· Fever

· Nausea

· Vomiting

· tender and swollen abdomen

· Rapid pulse

Chronic pancreatitis symptoms:

· Upper abdominal pain

· Oily and smelly stools

· Severe weight loss

Severe cases of pancreatitis may lead to cyst formation, bleeding into the glad, extensive tissue damage and infection.  Therefore, in case you notice these symptoms in yourself or any of your loved ones, contacting a pancreas specialist in Gangaram hospital  and other such renowned healthcare facilities of the country like would surely be a good idea.