Essay On Pancreatitis

What is Pancreatitis?

The pancreas is a large gland that is located in the upper abdomen that secretes digestive juices, and releases insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream. Pancreatitis is a medical term for inflammation of the pancreas. When the pancreas is inflamed, it can progress to swelling of the gland, and surrounding blood vessels, bleeding, infection, and damage to the gland. It occurs when digestives enzymes start digesting the pancreas itself. Pancreatitis has two types; acute or chronic and either type can be life-threatening and have some serious complications.

What are the causes?

Alcohol abuse and gallstones are the two main causes of pancreatitis, accounting for 80% to 90% of all individuals diagnosed with the condition.

The remaining 10% to 20% of causes of pancreatitis have various cases including medications, exposure to certain chemicals, injury (car accident or a bad fall leading to abdominal trauma), hereditary disease, surgery and certain medical procedures, infections such as mumps, abnormalities of the pancreas or intestine and high fat levels in the blood.
About 80,000 cases of acute pancreatitis have been reported in the United States each year. It can occur in all ages in men and women; however it is very rare in children. On the other hand, chronic pancreatitis is more common in men than in women.
What are the symptoms?
The most common symptom of acute pancreatitis is abdominal pain. The pain may come so suddenly or will build up gradually and is located in the upper middle or upper left of the belly. The pain often begins or worsens after eating and typically lasts for a few days. It may feel worse when a person is lying flat on his or her back. Other symptoms may include nausea, fever, chills or both, swollen abdomen, and a rapid heartbeat. In severe cases with infection or bleeding, a person experience dehydration and low blood pressure.
Pain is less common in chronic pancreatitis.

Some may feel pain but most do not. For those who experience pain, it is usually constant and disabling and it goes away as the condition worsens. This lack of pain is considered as a bad sign because it probably means that the pancreas has stopped working. Other symptoms are related to long-term complications such as inability to produce insulin, inability to digest food, bleeding and liver problems.

Risk Factors

Excessive alcohol intake and gallstones are the major risk factors for pancreatitis. Other risk factors include a family history of pancreatitis, high levels of fat in the blood, cigarette smoking, certain inherited disease such as cystic fibrosis and taking certain medications.

Diagnosis

When a health care professional identifies symptoms of pancreatitis, specific questions are asked about the person’s symptoms, lifestyle and habits, and medical and surgical history. These types of questions will help to rule out some conditions and make the correct diagnosis. In most cases, however, laboratory tests are needed. The tests will determine the function of several body systems including pancreas, liver and kidney functions, signs of infections, blood cell counts, and blood sugar, electrolyte levels and calcium level. Results of the blood tests may be inadequate if the pancreas is still making digestive enzymes and

insulin.
Diagnostic imaging tests are usually needed to look for complications including gallstones. The tests may include x-ray films, CT scan, ultrasound, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).
Treatments
Medical treatments for pancreatitis are usually focused on relieving symptoms and preventing further aggravation to the pancreas. Depending on the complications, some may require a surgery or a blood transfusion. The main treatment for pancreatitis is to maintain a high carbohydrate, low fat diet along with medications for pain relief. In other cases, if the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, insulin injections may be necessary. It is important for the patient to follow the doctor’s treatment advice to avoid any necessary life-threatening complications.