Do you know the symptoms of 'chronic pancreatitis'?

 

Did you know that chronic pancreatitis causes various symptoms and destruction of cells in the pancreas as the inflammation of the pancreas continues? When it becomes chronic pancreatitis, there is basically no cure and it is known that the risk of pancreatic cancer increases or life expectancy is shorter than average. This time, we will explain the symptoms, causes, tests, and treatment methods of chronic pancreatitis.

What is chronic pancreatitis?

The pancreas is an organ that secretes the pancreas into the duodenum or hormones such as glucagon and insulin in the blood. Pancreatic juice contains many digestive enzymes to digest food. Insulin has the function of regulating blood sugar by regulating the metabolism of sugar. The pancreas plays an important role in our body, but in chronic pancreatitis, the inflammation of the pancreas continues and this function is reduced.

How does the pancreas change as inflammation of the pancreas persists?

The pancreas, which normally digests food, dissolves the pancreas itself. In addition, as inflammation continues, normal cells such as acinar cells and islets of Langenhans are destroyed. Then the pancreas becomes fibrous and hardens or a pancreas develops.

Is there a classification according to the progress stage?

Chronic pancreatitis is divided into hypertrophic, transitional, and hypertrophic. In the target stage, pancreatic function is maintained, and abdominal pain due to pancreatic juice secretion is the main symptom. In the transition period, the pancreas function is reduced and the abdominal pain is mild. In hypertrophic swallowing, pancreatic function is greatly reduced, and abdominal pain is significantly reduced or eliminated.

And when it progresses to hypertrophy, the function of digesting food by pancreatic juice and regulating blood sugar by insulin hardly works. Therefore, it causes symptoms such as diarrhea, weight loss, and diseases such as diabetes and nutritional disorders.

In addition, chronic pancreatitis is known to increase the risk of pancreatic cancer 7 to 11 times and shorten the lifespan by about 10 years than the average.

Chronic Pancreatitis Symptoms

What are the symptoms of chronic pancreatitis?

The main symptom of the target stage, the early stage of chronic pancreatitis, is abdominal pain. As we progress through the transitional, hypertrophic phase, we usually tend to get lighter. However, as the function of the pancreas decreases with each progression, symptoms such as diarrhea or weight loss due to indigestion appear. Caution is needed as it also increases the risk of nutritional disorders and diabetes.

What is the specific symptom of abdominal pain in chronic pancreatitis?

Compensatory abdominal pain has symptoms such as abdominal or back pain, pain, malaise, nausea, and vomiting when pressed on the abdomen. It is especially common a few hours after overeating, drinking alcohol, or eating too much fat. And abdominal pain attacks recur for 5 to 10 years. However, some people rarely have pain. Some people know that they have chronic pancreatitis after the disease has progressed without pain in the abdomen or back and has since developed diabetes.

Symptoms worth paying attention to

Are there any symptoms to watch out for?

In particular, you need to be careful if you experience strong pain in the area of ​​​​the myeongchi after a few hours of overeating, drinking, or eating too much lipid. Also, watch out for repeated attacks of abdominal pain.

Causes of chronic pancreatitis

What is the cause of chronic pancreatitis?

The cause of chronic pancreatitis is that men drink a lot, and women with unknown causes are increasing. Also, some people are genetically predisposed to chronic pancreatitis.

Tell us about the relationship between chronic pancreatitis and drinking alcohol.

About 70% of chronic pancreatitis is believed to be caused by habitual drinking. Alcohol is the cause of about 75% of men with chronic pancreatitis, compared to about 30% of women. Although there are fewer women with chronic pancreatitis caused by alcohol, caution is needed because women are thought to develop chronic pancreatitis with small amounts of alcohol than men.

Please tell me the relationship between chronic pancreatitis and genes.

Habitual drinking increases the risk of chronic pancreatitis, but only a small percentage of the major shareholder is known to develop chronic pancreatitis. On the one hand, there is also an innate genetic factor, as some people come from an ancestry prone to chronic pancreatitis.

If symptoms such as chronic pancreatitis appear, which department should I see?

If symptoms of chronic pancreatitis are suspected, consult a gastroenterologist. Chronic pancreatitis does not usually get better, but early treatment may prevent or improve its progression.

What tests are done if chronic pancreatitis is suspected?

If chronic pancreatitis is suspected, symptoms are listened to and tested, and the diagnosis is made according to the clinical diagnostic criteria for chronic pancreatitis of the Japanese Pancreatic Society. Clinical diagnostic criteria for chronic pancreatitis include characteristic imaging and tissue findings, recurrent epigastric pain or an abnormality in the level of vertebral soybeans, blood or urine pancreatic enzymes. To confirm these findings, blood tests and imaging tests such as abdominal x-rays, echoes, and CT are done. In some cases, it can be diagnosed by imaging tests alone, but such chronic pancreatitis is difficult to treat or stop progressing.

How is chronic pancreatitis treated?

Chronic pancreatitis progresses slowly and in most cases does not go away. Long-term hospitalization and treatment are required to treat abdominal and back pain, improve nutrition, and prevent complications. Treatment of chronic pancreatitis involves improvement of lifestyle and diet and medication depending on the cause and severity of the disease.

What kind of treatment do you do with symptoms or stages?

First of all, the target stage is the treatment of abdominal pain. Because of fibrosis, the pancreatic duct becomes thinner and the flow of pancreatic juice worsens, resulting in pain. In addition, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, non-narcotic analgesics, and proteolytic enzyme inhibitors are also used. In some cases, it is also necessary to dilate the pancreatic duct using an endoscope or perform surgery such as pancreatic duct draining surgery or pancreatectomy. Non-target ears require pancreatic digestive enzymes because the digestion and absorption of proteins and fats are reduced and cause diarrhea. In addition, since diabetes often co-occurs, treatment by a diabetes specialist is necessary.

No alcohol, no smoking

Do I need to stop drinking or quit smoking?

Abstinence is necessary to prevent the progression of chronic pancreatitis. There is no acceptable amount. By abstaining from alcohol, the progression is delayed, the pain is relieved, and the number of times of pain is reduced. Also, quitting smoking is important to prevent progression, as chronic pancreatitis is strongly related to smoking.

Please tell me what points to watch out for in meals.

In chronic pancreatitis diet, it is important to choose nutritious and pain-free foods. In particular, lipid intake can cause pain. If there is no pain, all you have to do is be careful not to eat too much, but if there is pain, lipid restriction is necessary.

In addition, as chronic pancreatitis progresses, the function of the pancreas decreases and digestion and absorption decrease. In particular, as the digestion and absorption of lipids decreases, absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K becomes difficult. You also need to take digestive enzyme pills to absorb these nutrients.

Are there gender and age differences in chronic pancreatitis?

The male to female ratio of chronic pancreatitis is 4.6:1, which is about four times more common in men, and it can occur from children to the elderly, but the incidence is increasing in those in their 40s and 50s.

organize

In chronic pancreatitis, normal cells such as acinar cells and islets of Langenhans are destroyed as the inflammation of the pancreas continues. Then, the pancreas becomes fibrous and hardens, or the pancreas develops, and the function of the pancreas decreases. According to the stage of progression, it is classified into target phase, transition phase, and hypertrophic phase, and the main symptom in the target phase is abdominal pain. Hypertrophic swallowing reduces or eliminates pain, but causes symptoms such as diarrhea and weight loss, and diseases such as diabetes or nutritional disorders. It is basically a disease that cannot be expected to be cured once you get it. If you experience pain in the area of ​​​​the groin area a few hours after overeating, drinking alcohol, or eating too much lipid, it may be pancreatitis. Early treatment increases the likelihood of preventing or improving the progression, so if you have any suspicious symptoms, you should see a gastroenterologist as soon as possible.