Chronic Pancreatitis – All you need to know

Pancreatitis is inflammation of your pancreas. Pancreatitis can come and go quickly, or it can be a chronic problem. Treatment will depend on whether your pancreatitis is acute or chronic.

Chronic Pancreatitis:

Chronic pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas that comes back consistently or occurs over a long period of time. People with chronic pancreatitis can have permanent damage to their pancreas and other complications. Scar tissue develops from this continuing inflammation. When pancreatitis damages these cells, it leads to diabetes in about 45 percent of people with chronic pancreatitis. Long-term heavy alcohol use can cause pancreatitis in adults. Dr. Srivatsan Gurumurthy Surgical Gastroenterologist in Chennai unravels the complexity of this condition, shedding light on its causes, symptoms, and long-term implications in a language that is both simple and engaging for everyone.

What causes Chronic Pancreatitis?

Although chronic pancreatitis is caused due to several reasons, 70% of cases are due

Alcohol
Tobacoo chewing
Smoking
Cystic fibrosis
Genetic factors
Hereditary

Symptoms:

Pain in your upper abdomen
Diarrhea
Fatty stools, which are loose, pale, and don’t flush away easily
Nausea and vomiting
Unexplained weight loss
Diabetes mellitus
Fatty and oily stools

Painful episodes can last for hours or even days. Some people find that eating or drinking can make their pain worse. As the disease progresses, the pain may become constant.

How Is Chronic Pancreatitis Diagnosed?

During the early stages of chronic pancreatitis, changes in your pancreas are difficult to see in blood tests. For this reason, blood tests typically aren’t used to diagnose the disease. However, they may be used to determine the amount of pancreatic enzymes in your blood. Blood tests may also be used to check blood cell counts along with kidney and liver function. Your doctor might ask you for a stool sample to test for levels of fat. Fatty stools could be a sign that your body isn’t absorbing nutrients correctly.

Treatment:

Treatment for chronic pancreatitis focuses on reducing pain and improving digestive function. The damage to pancreas can’t be undone, but with the proper care, the symptoms can be managed well. Treatment for pancreatitis can include medication, endoscopic therapies, or surgery.

Surgery For Chronic Pancreatitis:

Surgery is the primary treatment and helps relieving pain by decompressing the pancreatic duct. Sometimes a reasonable amount of pancreatic parenchyma is cored out to alleviate pain originating from the head of the pancreas. If there is severe pain that isn’t responding to medication, removing part of the pancreas can provide relief. Surgery may also be used to unblock the pancreatic duct, drain cysts, or to widen the duct if it’s too narrow. Avoidance of alcohol is mandatory, even if alcohol wasn’t the cause of pancreatitis. Avoid smoking because it can increase your risk of developing pancreatic cancer.