What is Chronic Pancreatitis?

What is Chronic Pancreatitis

What is Chronic Pancreatitis: Pancreas is an important gland in the upper abdomen, behind the stomach and below the ribcage. It is helpful in producing all the important enzymes and hormones responsible for breaking down and digesting food. This is also helpful in maintaining the insulin level to moderate the level of sugar in the blood. If the pancreas is not working properly, a person will experience different conditions. Likewise, there is a disease of the pancreas known as chronic pancreatitis.

In this article, we will go over chronic pancreatitis in depth so that if you experience any symptoms, you can see a doctor and get a diagnosis as soon as possible.

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What is Chronic Pancreatitis?

Chronic pancreatitis is a condition in which inflammation of the pancreas takes place and does not improve over time. This inflammation is responsible for causing permanent scarring and damage. As a result, stones may also develop, responsible for blocking the duct or tube carrying the digestive enzyme and juices to the stomach.

This blockage is responsible for lowering pancreatic enzyme and hormone levels, causing the body to be unable to digest food and regulate blood sugar levels effectively. In most cases, this condition leads to malnutrition and diabetes.

Causes of Chronic Pancreatitis:

There are a number of factors which you can take into consideration as causes of chronic pancreatitis and, majorly, alcohol abuse. But it is not important that a person who is consuming alcohol can only suffer from it. There are people who can suffer from it if they are not consuming it. Hence, the causes are

  • Autoimmune diseases are responsible for attacking healthy cells and tissues.
  • The narrow pancreatic duct is due to the fact that the tube is not in a state to carry enzymes from the pancreas to the small intestine efficiently.
  • Gallstones or pancreatic stones may cause blockage in the pancreatic duct.
  • Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary disease responsible for causing mucus buildup in the lungs.
  • Genetics is also responsible for causing chronic pancreatitis.
  • A high level of calcium known as hypercalcemia is responsible for causing chronic pancreatitis.
  • Hypertriglyceridemia is also a cause of pancreatitis.

Read More Cause: What are the Causes of Pancreatitis in 2022?

Symptoms of Chronic Pancreatitis:

The symptoms of chronic pancreatitis are as follows:

  1. Feelings of nausea and vomiting
  2. Pain in the upper abdomen
  3. Unexplained weight loss
  4. Shortness of breath
  5. Fatty stools
  6. Excessive throbbing and fatigue
  7. Diarrhea
  8. Availability of pancreatic fluid in the abdomen
  9. Intestinal blockage
  10. Internal bleeding
  11. Jaundice

In some cases, a person experiences abdominal pain that lasts for hours or even days, and in that case, they need to reach out to the doctor immediately to get the diagnosis and some treatment.

Read More: What is the Early Sign of Pancreatic Cancer in 2022?

Diagnosis of Chronic Pancreatitis:

In general, for the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis, doctors consider:

  • Ultrasound
  • X-rays
  • CT scans

Along with that, the doctors may also consider some blood tests to check out the enzyme level in the body and figure out whether the pancreas is doing fine or not. If all of these tests show that there is a possibility of chronic pancreatitis, the doctor will recommend the best treatment option to get rid of it. For chronic pancreatitis treatment, people can visit Jaipur and fix an appointment with Dr. Shankar Dhaka.

Treatment Options for Chronic Pancreatitis:

The treatment options for chronic pancreatitis depend on the condition of the patient and, most commonly, the doctor suggests the following ones:

1. Lifestyle changes:

The primary treatment that a doctor suggests for a patient is to make some lifestyle changes. From maintaining a healthy diet to stopping all the bad habits, a person needs to be sure about what they need to do and what not. The doctor suggests patients learn about everything in detail so that there will be no problems at all.

2. Medication for pain management:

The pain that is associated with chronic pancreatitis is so severe that a person is not in a state to manage the activities. In that case, a doctor suggests patients rely on some over-the-counter medications along with some other drugs to get well.

3. Insulin:

If the pancreas is not in the state to produce insulin, then it is right to conclude that the damage is extensive. In that case, patients require regular insulin therapy so that the pancreas will get back into the stage of producing the same hormone and body needs must be maintained.

4. Surgery:

If not, even a single treatment is responding and helping individuals deal with symptoms. Doctors suggest patients go for surgery. During the surgery, the doctor removes the blockage in the pancreas that is responsible for the accumulation of digestive juices and causing intense pain.

This was all about chronic pancreatitis and it is important to understand that lifestyle changes have a major impact on its treatment. It is important for people to reach out to the best doctor only because if they are reaching someone who is new to this field, chances of complications will arise.

Also, there is a possibility that people who are not paying attention to the changes happening in their bodies suffer from some other health-related problems as well.

 

FAQ:

Q. 1 Can you live with chronic pancreatitis?

Ans: A person can live with chronic pancreatitis, but to an extent only. If they are not ready to make the lifestyle changes, the condition will get worse over time, and living a normal life can be difficult.

Q. 2 How do I know if I have chronic pancreatitis?

Ans: There are some symptoms linked with chronic pancreatitis, including vomiting and pain in the upper stomach with epigastric tenderness. If this is happening to you, there is a possibility you might be suffering with chronic pancreatitis.

Q. 3 Can stress cause pancreatitis?

Ans: It is responsible for causing so many health-related problems and, likewise, it is linked with pancreatitis.

Q. 4 Can apple cider vinegar help with pancreatitis?

Ans: Apple cider vinegar is enriched with a lot of antioxidants which are helpful in regenerating the pancreas beta cells, which helps in the improvement of insulin secretion.

Q. 5 Can fatty liver cause pancreatitis?

Ans: Fatty liver can be a cause of acute pancreatitis in some cases.