Inflammation of the pancreas or chronic pancreatitis

In medicine, the term "chronic pancreatitis" refers to a whole group of pancreatic diseases that are inflammatory in nature and lead to deformation of its tissues, pancreatic cells, and the formation of cysts, disrupting the endocrine system. Inflammation of the pancreas is a serious disease, at the same time it is quite common. It is observed in people of different age and sex.

Pancreatitis can develop both with pronounced symptoms, and mask for other diseases, for example, for stomach ulcers or cholecystitis. Therefore, it often becomes difficult to correctly diagnose. Signs of pancreatitis, in particular its chronic form, are the constant pain in the hypochondrium on the left side, which can spread to the back, nausea and upset stomach, bloating, weight loss, can develop, the so-called night blindness. Thus, chronic pancreatitis can lead to various complications in the human body, for example, the formation of cysts, cancer, diabetes mellitus or the occurrence of bleeding.

The causes of the disease are diverse:

- acute form of pancreatitis, which has not been cured to the end;

- Alcoholism;

- cholecystitis, gastritis or stomach ulcer;

- cardiovascular diseases;

- Hepatitis or other infectious diseases;

- Allergies.

In any case, the inflammation can be both focal, and spread to other organs and tissues, developing a metabolic disorder.

It can be said that pancreatitis develops both in acute form and in chronic, and chronic pancreatitis, the classification of which has not been properly established to date, can provoke serious complications. One can only say that there is an inducible, pseudocystic, pseudotumorous, and also calcific pancreatitis. Also, recurrent chronic pancreatitis, characterized by the presence of periods of exacerbation of the disease, and primary chronic pancreatitis, which is characterized by the absence of signs of inflammation of the pancreas.

There are three stages in the development of such a disease as chronic pancreatitis :

1. The initial stage. There are painful sensations at the top of the abdomen, the left hypochondrium, while the pain is not permanent.

2. External secretory deficiency of the gland .. The pain syndrome subsides, there is a digestive disorder.

3. Stage of complication of the disease. Hypoglycemia develops, cysts can develop and infectious complications develop.

Thus, the symptoms of the development of pancreatitis are diverse and depend on the stage of its development and form. So, it is common to distinguish between pancreatitis accompanied by pain syndrome, as well as painless, fibroid and pseudohumorous chronic pancreatitis . In any case, this disease in its chronic form takes a rather long period of time and is characterized by periods of calm and exacerbation.

Diagnosis of pancreatitis is carried out with the help of:

- clinical signs of the disease;

- laboratory analysis;

- amylase and lipase tests;

- X-rays and ultrasound.

When diagnosing chronic pancreatitis, the symptoms, the treatment of which is interrelated, take into account the nature of pain. So, depending on the symptoms and the degree of development of the disease, the appropriate method of treatment is selected. However, in all cases, treatment is aimed at restoring the pancreas gland and stopping its destruction. In this case, a frequent diet is prescribed. Physicians use medicines to cure patients, as well as surgical intervention in cases of severe disease.

The prognosis is usually good if the treatment is started in a timely manner. Therefore, consult a doctor without waiting for worsening if there is reason to fear for your pancreas.