Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis can be an acute or chronic inflammation of the pancreas. Acute attacks typically give severe abdominal pain which extends from the upper stomach through to the back and can cause effects ranging from mild swelling of the pancreas to life-threatening organ failure. Chronic pancreatitis is a slowly progressing disease that may involve a series of acute attacks, causing intermittent or constant pain as it permanently damages the pancreas.
The pancreas is a narrow, flat organ located deep in the abdominal cavity, behind the stomach and below the liver. It has exocrine tissues, which make powerful enzymes that help digest fats, proteins and carbohydrates and bicarbonate that helps neutralise stomach acids. It also has "islets" of endocrine tissue that produce the hormones insulin and glucagon, vital for the transport of glucose into body cells.
Normally, the pancreatic digestive enzymes are created and carried into the duodenum (first part of the small intestine) in an inactive form. It is thought that during an attack of pancreatitis these enzymes become activated while still in the pancreas and begin to digest and destroy it.
While the exact mechanisms of pancreatitis are not well understood, it is known to be linked to and aggravated by alcoholism and it can be caused by gallstones blocking the bile duct which joins the duodenum. These two conditions are responsible for about 80% of acute pancreatitis attacks. Alcoholism is the major cause of chronic pancreatitis. In about 15% of episodes the cause of pancreatitis is unknown. Rarer causes include:
