The pancreas is a vital organ that secretes the enzymes and hormones, including insulin and glucagon, that your body needs to digest food. Acute pancreatitis occurs without warning, and it typically manifests as a sharp pain in the upper abdomen that radiates into your back. Several recent studies demonstrate that nicotine, the chief component of cigarettes and chewing tobacco, plays a role in the onset of acute pancreatitis.
Symptoms
Acute pancreatitis causes the pancreas to swell and become inflamed, which generates numerous symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever. The pain of acute pancreatitis often intensifies after you eat a high-fat meal or lie down on your back. Other symptoms include clammy skin, clay-colored or oily stools, intense bloating, and jaundice which is a yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes.
Effects
Nicotine induces the pancreas to stop producing insulin, according to Psychology Today, which may explain the role of the drug in acute pancreatitis. According to the University of Cincinnati Pancreatic Disease Center, one known cause of acute pancreatitis is autodigestion, wherein the enzymes within the pancreas become blocked and begin to digest the organ itself. Therefore, when nicotine continually interferes with the normal secreting function of the pancreas, acute pancreatitis may result.
Research
A study published in the March 2009 issue of the "Archives of Internal Medicine" found an association between nicotine intake and the development of pancreatitis. In a population-based cohort study of 9,573 Danish women and 8,332 Danish men, researchers from the University of Southern Denmark found that 235 cases of pancreatitis occurred. Of these cases, 46 percent were attributed to cigarette smoking, since the researchers adjusted for other known pancreatitis risk factors, such as excessive alcohol intake and gallstones.
Warning
Acute pancreatitis can lead to serious health complications, such as acute kidney failure and pancreatic abscesses. It can also cause death, through heart failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome -- a lung condition that blocks the entry of oxygen into the blood. Continued bouts of acute pancreatitis can also lead to chronic pancreatitis, which causes irreversible damage to the pancreas and may require surgery. If you are a smoker and you develop acute pancreatitis, speak to your doctor or healthcare provider about effective treatments available to help you stop smoking.
