Pancreatitis: Causes and Preventive Measures

The pancreas is a vital organ that creates several enzymes required to digest food and build insulin which is an important hormone to keep blood sugar levels balanced. Pancreatitis happens when the pancreas gets inflamed and the digestive enzymes start digesting the pancreas itself. It may affect the digestion process of a person and prevent food from getting correctly absorbed, leading to several issues such as fever, bloating, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. Pancreatitis can also develop severe nutritional deficiencies and weight loss.

With time, inflammation of the pancreas may get worse and it is called chronic pancreatitis. In such cases, pancreatitis can harm the pancreas and lead to other issues like endocrine pancreatic insufficiency or EPI which grows when the pancreas becomes unable to create the digestive enzymes for food digestion.

Causes of Pancreatitis

There are two common causes behind pancreas inflammation that include chronic alcohol consumption and gallstones.

Gallstones, built up of hard and tough bile, can cause acute pancreatitis in case they leave the gallbladder and go by the regular bile duct, a tube that joins the gallbladder, pancreas, and the liver to the small intestine.The problem of acute pancreatitis may grow within a few hours or in 2-3 days after heavy drinking. Some other causes may include the following.

• Genetic abnormalities of the pancreas
• High-fat levels in the blood
• Hormonal abnormalities
• Viral infection
• High calcium levels in the blood
• Regular use of certain medications like steroids and estrogen
• An abdominal wound that damages the pancreas

Tips to avoid pancreatitis

Here are some preventive measures that one can take to protect their pancreas and decrease the chances of pancreatitis and other severe health problems like EPI.

• Limit alcohol consumption
• Do not smoke
• Skip crash diets
• Lose extra weight
• Exercise regularly
• Have a low-fat diet

So, these are some causes and prevention tips that people must follow to keep their pancreas in good condition. Pancreatitis can be a severe health condition and, if left uncured, it may turn into EPI. Those who have risk factors for such condition or have symptoms must contact the best pancreas specialist in Delhi and make proper lifestyle changes to keep their pancreas healthy.

All You Need To Know About Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is a severe medical condition that causes inflammation in the pancreas. This damage typically occurs when enzymes are triggered in the pancreas prior to being released into the small intestine. These enzymes start attacking the pancreas in this situation. Pancreatitis is an incredibly severe medical condition and hence, people suffering from it should visit the best pancreas specialist in the Gangaram hospital or some other renowned healthcare center.

There are two main types of pancreatitis acute and chronic pancreatitis. Here is a brief insight about them:

• Acute pancreatitis: This medical condition causes a short lived but sudden inflammation of the pancreas. While at times it might only cause a mild discomfort to the patient, acute pancreatitis can be a source of life-threatening illness in certain cases. People suffering from this condition can completely recover after the necessary treatment. In severe cases, acute pancreatitis can lead to cyst formation, tissue damage, bleeding and infection. It may also cause damage to important organs of the body, including the lungs, the heart and the kidneys.
• Chronic Pancreatitis: This ailment is caused due to certain long-term inflammation of the pancreatic gland. An episode of acute pancreatitis can often lead to such a chronic condition. Consuming large amounts of alcohol consistently is also one of the major factors that can lead to chronic pancreatitis. In addition to this, people might even unexpectedly develop the symptoms of severe pancreatitis at a relatively old age. Consistent and long-lasting pain in the upper abdominal region and severe weight-loss caused by mal-absorption of food are some of the biggest symptoms of this medical condition.’

There are several factors that can either contribute or come together to cause acute or chronic pancreatitis. Here are a few of those risk factors:

• Gallstones: pieces of solid material forming in the gallbladder
• Heavy and consistent use of alcohol
• Autoimmune diseases and infections
• Cystic fibrosis and high triglycerides
• Risks arising out of certain medications
• Inherited metabolic disorders of the pancreas

People suffering from pancreatitis should consult the best pancreas specialist in the Gangaram hospital or some other renowned medical center of the country. It is imperative to ensure that pancreatitis patients are taken to a good hospital having pancreas specialties as well as state-of-the-art facilities to treat and manage the condition so as to facilitate quick recovery from debilitating disease.

Refresher on the Types and Symptoms of Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is a medical condition that causes the inflammation of the pancreas and typically occurs when the digestive enzymes are triggered prior to being released into the small intestine. In this situation, the pancreatic enzymes start attacking the pancreas itself.

Pancreatitis can be of two major types, acute and chronic.

• Acute pancreatitis:  This medical condition causes a sudden but short-lived inflammation of the pancreas. While it might only cause just a mild discomfort at times, if left untreated, it can even become the source of life-threatening ailment. Most people suffering from acute pancreatitis can recover completely once they get the necessary treatment from the best pancreas specialist in Delhi or some other metro city.  If it’s a severe condition theen acute pancreatitis can cause serious tissue damage, bleeding, infection and cyst formation. It may even damage certain vital organs like the kidneys, the heart and the lungs.  Here are some of the major symptoms of acute pancreatitis :

• Severe nausea and unmanageable vomiting
• Long-lasting and high fever
• A noticeable increase in the heart-rate
• Pain in the upper abdominal region that spreads to the back.
• This pain might be aggravated by the consumption of food items with high fat content
• Swelling and tenderness in the abdomen

• Chronic Pancreatitis: This medical condition is caused by long-term inflammation of the pancreatic gland. Typically, acute pancreatitis can trigger such a chronic condition. One of the major causes of acute pancreatitis can be consistent consumption of large amounts of alcohol. Heavy alcohol consumption can even cause damage to the pancreas without its symptoms being apparent for several years. However, people might even suddenly and unexpectedly develop the symptoms of severe pancreatitis.at an advanced age. Here are some of the major symptoms of chronic pancreatitis :

• Diarrhea and nausea
• Severe weight-loss caused by mal-absorption of food. This poor absorption is usually caused by a reduction in the amount of digestive enzymes released
• Damage to the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas might cause diabetes
• Consistent and long-lasting pain in the upper abdominal region

In case of any indication of Pancreatitis it is advisable that people consult a pancreas specialist in Delhi or any other metro city as speedy treatment and the availability of premier facilities are vital to help the patients recover and regain their health and wellbeing as they suffer from this medical condition.

Things You Need to Know About Pancreatitis

A key part of the digestive system, pancreas is a large gland located behind the stomach and next to the small intestine. Pancreatitis is one of the most severe and common ailments related to this gland. This pancreatic damage ideally occurs when the digestive enzymes present in this gland are triggered before being released into the small intestine. In this scenario, these enzymes start attacking the pancreas. Pancreatitis can be classified into two broad categories, acute and chronic pancreatitis.

• Acute Pancreatitis: This causes short-lived, but sudden inflammation of the pancreas. Even though, at times, this may cause people only a mild discomfort, it can even be the source of life-threatening ailments. After getting the necessary treatment from reputed pancreas specialist in Delhi, Mumbai or some other large city, most people with this disease can recover completely. When acute pancreatitis becomes very severe, it might even cause serious bleeding, infection, tissue damage, and cyst formation. It might even cause damage to important organs like the heart, kidneys, and lungs.

Symptoms of Acute Pancreatitis:

• Long-lasting, high fever
• Noticeable increase in the heart-rate
• Swelling and tenderness in the abdomen
• Severe nausea and unmanageable vomiting
• Pain in the upper abdominal region that spreads to the back
• Chronic Pancreatitis: This ailment is caused by a long-term inflammation of the pancreatic gland. An episode of acute pancreatitis as well as heavy alcohol abuse can ideally trigger such a chronic condition. Heavy alcohol consumption over a prolonged time might cause damage to the pancreas without its symptoms being apparent for many years. Aged individuals however might suddenly and unexpectedly develop the symptoms of severe chronic pancreatitis.

Symptoms of Chronic Pancreatitis:

• Diarrhea and nausea
• Consistent and long-lasting pain in the upper abdominal region
• Severe weight-loss caused by improper absorption of food
• Damage to the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas that might also cause diabetes

Multiple risk factors can contribute to acute or chronic pancreatitis. Some of them being:

• Gallstones
• Heavy and consistent use of alcohol
• Autoimmune diseases and infections
• Cystic fibrosis and high triglycerides
• Inherited metabolic disorders of the pancreas

Certain medications can also pose a risk of causing pancreatitis as such people should never take medicines, even if herbal, if the ingredients used in them have been contraindicated. At the slightest indication of this ailment, it is advisable that people consult any renowned pancreas specialist in Delhi, Mumbai or some other city, to get a proper diagnosis and treatment.