Pancreatitis refers to inflammation of the pancreas, a small organ that lies behind the stomach and aids in both digestion and endocrine functions. Pancreatitis presents acutely, as a short-term condition, or chronically, as a long-term condition. Reversible injury results from the acute pancreatitis, wheras chronic pancreatitis irreversibly damages pancreatic tissue. Symptoms may be absent in both conditions in up to 15 percent of the cases, reports The Merck Manual. However, there remain some commonly reported symptoms. The various causes of pancreatitis determine the resulting symptoms.
Abdominal Pain
Most patients with pancreatitis report abdominal pain. Patients complain of severe pain that is stabbing, burning or boring, which comes and goes. This symptom can have may causes. In obstruction, the physical narrowing of the pancreatic ducts blocks release of pancreatic fluid. In this instance, pressure builds up in the ducts and pancreas, causing pain. In other cases, an injury to the pancreas causes inflammatory substances released, both of which cause pain pain. Hypersensitivity to inflammatory substances and destroyed nerve coverings can result in severe pain. Finally, injury to blood vessels that supply the pancreas leads to a lack of blood supply to the pancreas, which may also cause pain, as described by the Cleveland Clinic.
Back Pain
Nerves use signals to communicate with brain. When injury occurs to an organ, the nerves from that organ indicate pain or discomfort. When nerves to one organ or area of the body travel along the same pathway as nerves to another area, sometimes the brain is confused. The brain cannot pinpoint the exact location of the injury and interprets injury to another area, and the person feels pain in that other location. In the pancreas, nerves of the pancreas travel along the same route as those of the back, resulting in back pain. This phenomenon, in which the brain becomes confused about the source of pain and a person experiences pain in an uninjured area, is called "referred pain."
Weight Loss
Patients usually report weight loss in conjunction with pancreatitis. Weight loss typically results because patients avoid eating. The pain associated with their meals often causes patients to eat less in an effort to avoid symptoms. The clinical term for this food aversion is "sitophobia."
Indigestion
The pancreas works in conjunction with the digestive system. Within a few minutes of eating, the pancreas releases enzymes that aid in the digestive process. Failure of the pancreas to help break down food properly causes abnormal digestion, resulting in nausea and vomiting. Patients can also experience bloating, hiccups and a swollen abdomen due to changes in digestion.
Abnormal Stools
The enzymes from the pancreas normally break down fats. In the late stages of chronic pancreatitis, the pancreas can no longer break down fats. Fats accumulate excessively in the stool. This results in foul-smelling, greasy, floating stools. This symptom also indicates an absence of 90 percent of the pancreatic function, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Diabetes
Between 20 and 30 percent of patients with chronic pancreatitis develop diabetes, reports The Merck Manual. Chronic inflammation leads to fibrosis, which destroys cells in the pancreas that produce and release insulin. Without insulin, the body lacks the ability to metabolize glucose appropriately, leading to increased glucose in the blood, called hyperglycemia.
References
- The Cleveland Clinic: Chronic Pancreatitis
- Center for Biliary and Pancreatic Diseases: Pain Management - Pancreatitis
- Neurosignals: Role of Neurogenic Infl ammation in Pancreatitis and Pancreatic Pain
- Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Pathophysiology, Second Edition p. 266-67
- Merck: Pain: Introduction
