Pancreatitis Research Paper

The pancreas is the organ of the upper part of the abdomen that is about 6 inches long

.

The

flattened

head of the pancreas is surrounded by part of the small intestines called the

duodenum

and the body lies behind the stomach with the rest of the tail in front of the left

kidney. The main functions of the pancreas is to secrete alkaline juice with enzymes, amylase

and lipase, and secrete insulin and glucagon. Amylase and lipase helps diges

t fats, protein, and

carbohydrates from food that we eat. The alkaline j

uices secreted helps neutralizes the acid

secretions of the stomach, and the stomach secretes about 1.5 liters of the alkaline juices in a day.

The insulin and glucagon is essential

for the regulation of the glucose

in the blood.
Inflammation of pancreas
is called
pancreatitis.
Dur
ing
the
pancreatitis attack,
digestive
enzymes are activated before they are rel
ease
d into the small intestines.
Pancreatitis can occur in
two forms, acute and chronic.
Acute and Chronic Pancreatitis
About 210,000 cases of acute pancreatitis occur in the United Stated every year. Alcohol
consumption accounts for over 80% of all cases of pa
ncreatitis in the Unite
d States
(Pancreatitis,
2016).
Acute pancreatitis ranges from mild discomfort to severe, life
-
threatening illness.
1
Some
people who has acute pancreatitis can recover completely after getting the right treatment
. If it is
left untreated, it can lead to
bleeding in the gland, serious tissue damage, infection, and cyst
formation.
2
Chronic pancreatitis is a more severe case of a prolonged acute pancreatitis causing
a longer
-
lasting inflammation. Heavy alcohol drinking is usually the main cause but sympt
oms
1
Pancreatitis can cause life
-
threatening complications such as sepsis, renal failure, ARDS (acute
respiratory distress syndrome) and shock.
2
If toxins or infections spread all over the body, the person may suffer from severe septic shock.
PANCREATITIS
3
does not develop for many years and then patient will then suddenly develops severe pancreatitis
symptoms.
Signs and Symptoms of Acute and Chronic Pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis causes pain over the upper abdomen and can spread to the back. The seve
rity
of the pain can increase with eating.

Other symptoms can include nausea and vomiting,

tenderness of the upper abdomen, tachycardia, and fever. A person experiencing chronic

pancreatitis will go through the similar symptoms of acute pancreatitis too.

There will be

constant pain in upper abdomen, and people can be disabling due to severe pain, weight loss

caused by poor absorption of food,

oily, smelly stools

and a loss of appetite.

A lot tissue damage

causes

th

e lack of digestive juices

to malabsor

ption to cause oily

and fatty stools.

Causes

.

Gallstones and heavy alcohol use, medications, infections, trauma, metabolic

disorder, cy

stic fibrosis, high triglycerides can cause acute and chronic pancreatitis. Roughly,

about 15% of the cause of acute pancreatitis is unknown, and 20% to 30% cause of chronic

pancreatitis is unknown.

P

seudo

-

cysts that block the ducts can cause chronic pancreatitis

Hereditary conditions can

be

a result of chronic pancreatitis.

Diagnoses

.

Doctors can diagnose pancreatitis by measuring levels in blood of two

digestive enzymes, amylase and lipase. High levels of these digestiv

e enzymes suggests acute

pancreatitis

and during inflammation, it is raised three times above its normal

value
.
A raised
enzyme level of lipase are common in alcoholic chronic pancreatitis.
To see if the pancreas is
making high amount of the digestive en
zymes, a pancreatic function test
is ordered
.

To measure

the damage to the cells in the pancreas that make insulin, a glucose tolerance test is done.

Ultrasound, CT scan, and MRI are also done to

reveal any swelling and damage to the gland. A

white blo

od cell (WBC) count can also show elevated cell count. For more severe cases of

PANCREATITIS

4

pancreatitis, doctors may order urine, blood, and stool tests to

asses the deficiency of enzymes,

and

confir

m

diagnoses

and extent of the damage. Sometimes biopsy are performed to get a

sample to study.

Treatment

.

To treat pancreatitis, people usually seek care in the hospital for five to

seven days depending on the severity of the acute pancreatitis. Patients would be hooked up to

IV fluids, and pain medications to help ease the pain and to prevent de

hydration.

Surgery is an

option, and is most likely to remove dead pancreatic tissue, to remove gallstones

, or

if pseudo

-

cyst formed during the inflammation, an incision to the pancreas is done to drain the cysts. With

pseudo

-

cysts, it can cause breathing difficult

y, so a ventilator therapy can help with severe lung

problems.
If patient
is
not
treated, severe damage can be done to heart, lung, and kidney.
Lastly,
a diet modification to the person’s lifestyle, and
smoking and
alcoholic
abstinence
can help
prevent future pancreatitis or to have fewer and milder attacks of pa
ncreatitis.