Six Signs You May Have a Pancreas Problem
November is Pancreatic Awareness Month!
The pancreas is an organ located behind the stomach, between the liver and the spleen. Most people know that the pancreas makes insulin. Many do not also realize that the pancreas makes the digestive juice that converts the food we eat into fuel for the body’s cells. A healthy pancreas produces the correct enzymes, in the correct quantities and at the right times, to digest the foods we eat. If your pancreas doesn’t make adequate amounts of the enzymes that your body requires to break down and absorb nutrients, you may have Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI).
Main Diseases of The Pancreas
The main diseases of the pancreas are acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, hereditary pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer. Pancreatitis is a disease in which the pancreas becomes inflamed, causing damage when digestive enzymes actually attack the pancreas itself. In acute cases, the inflammation occurs suddenly and painfully and usually heals over time. With chronic pancreatitis, the inflammation does not fully heal, eventually impairing the ability to digest food. This is called Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI). Chronic pancreatitis is the most common cause of EPI in adults. Over time the chronic inflammation can lead to irreversible damage to the pancreas and effect both the cells that secrete pancreatic digestive enzymes, leading to digestive distress, and the cells that produce insulin, leading to diabetes.
What is Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency?
EPI causes problems in how your body digests food. Your pancreas does not make adequate amounts of the enzymes that your body needs to break down starches, proteins, fats…and even some vitamins from foods you eat. You may lose weight, have abnormal stools, and have pain in your belly.
For most people there are medications that work by providing a new supply of enzymes to help digest food the correct way. In addition to taking medication, symptoms can be managed by following special low-fat diets and still being sure to take in enough nutrients and protein.
What is Pancreatic cancer?
Pancreatic cancer, like other cancers, starts when cells start to grow too quickly and eventually grow to become a mass. Each year in the US 200,000 cases occur. Pancreas cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to cure unless it is found very early. One important distinction to make when talking about pancreatic cancer is whether it is exocrine (digestive function) or endocrine (hormone function) cancer. 95 percent of the pancreas cancers are exocrine, while the remaining tissue consists of the endocrine tumors. Most pancreas cancers are sporadic (or random), but some are genetic. BRCA2 is not only about breast and ovarian cancer any longer. There is a relationship between the BRCA2 mutation and pancreatic cancer. Other genes have been recognized as well.
Risk factors of pancreatic cancer include:
- Cigarette smoking
- Family history
- Chronic pancreatitis
- Adult onset diabetes
- Certain polyp syndromes and skin mole diseases
- BRCA2 and other gene mutations
Because of the location in the pancreas where most exocrine tumors grow, the initial growth of pancreatic cancer occurs in the pancreas duct just next to where it meets the bile duct. This often results jaundice, a condition where the skin turns yellow from the blockage. There may not be many other noticeable symptoms in the early stages of pancreatic cancer, and the symptoms depend on the location of cancer in the pancreas. Over time, weight loss and pain will develop in most patients.
Pancreatic Disease Diagnosis and Treatment
In order to diagnose and treat pancreatitis, EPI or pancreatic cancer, the skill and knowledge from a medical professional, such as a gastroenterologist, is highly advised. Diagnosis typically requires special lab testing or sophisticated imaging, and treatment can be medical or surgical, depending on the problem. See a GI specialist if you are experiencing unexplained weight loss, have persistent fatigue, develop jaundice, have ongoing stomach pain or a persistent bowel pattern change.