Causes of Pancreatitis

What is Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is simply an inflammation of the Pancreas. There are many causes of Pancreatitis but as anyone who suffers from it will tell you – there is nothing simple about it.

Pain from Pancreatitis can be excruciating no matter what form you suffer from.

Pancreatitis will occur when the digestive enzymes that are produced in your pancreas become activated while they are still inside the pancreas which causes damage and inflammation of the Pancreas.

Normally, when you digest food, the Pancreas will produce and secrete inactivated pancreatic enzymes. These will move through the ducts in your pancreas and travel into the small intestine, where the enzymes will become activated and aid with digestion.

But in pancreatitis, the enzymes will become activated while they are still in the pancreas. This irritates the cells of your Pancreas and causes inflammation and all the signs and symptoms that are associated with Pancreatitis.

With repeated bouts of Acute Pancreatitis, damage to the pancreas can occur that will often lead to chronic pancreatitis.

Scar tissue can also form in the pancreas, causing loss of function. A poorly functioning pancreas can cause digestion problems and diabetes.

This post will try to cover the basic causes of Pancreatitis. There are two basic types that I write about in my blog here and on Facebook. There is Acute Pancreatitis and Chronic Pancreatitis.

What Does Your Pancreas Do For You?

Lets start with a few basic facts about what exactly it is that your Pancreas does for you. First, your Pancreas is located behind your stomach in the upper part of your abdominal cavity.

There the organ has two important functions.

First, it creates enzymes that are passed through it’s central duct and into your small intestines where they help you to digest the food that you eat.

Secondly, it secretes insulin directly into your blood stream that helps regulate how your body uses sugar.

Both of these functions are important to the normal operation of your body. Over time repeated attacks of Pancreatitis can scar your Pancreas and make it harder for it to accomplish these functions.

Plus, depending upon the type and severity of the issue, Pancreatitis can be extremely painful and lead to other problems. In fact, because of the number of pain receptors that are located in and around the Pancreas it can be so painful that it can incapacitate the sufferer.

I can testify from my own experiences with both Acute and Chronic Pancreatitis that it is the most pain I have ever felt in my entire life.

Understanding the type of Pancreatitis that you have will make it easier to know what you are suffering from and be able to deal with your Doctor better when you are deciding what treatments are appropriate.

Types Of Pancreatitis

Acute Pancreatitis : is an inflammatory condition of the pancreas that can also extend to tissue outside the pancreas. AP is usually broadly classified as either mild or severe.
Chronic Pancreatitis : is due to persistent progressive inflammation of the pancreas resulting in loss of exocrine function, and frequently in diabetes.

Some people get an Acute Pancreatitis flare up Others will also gradually over time get Chronic Pancreatitis. An Acute Flare up can also damage the Pancreas enough that it will cause Chronic Pancreatitis.

Symptoms of Pancreatitis

The actual signs and symptoms of Pancreatitis can vary from person to person depending both on which type you experience and how advanced the disease.

But basically the signs of Acute Pancreatitis will include:

• Pain in the upper abdominal area
• This abdominal pain can radiates to your back
• Feeling worse after you eat
• Nausea – often caused by the pain
• Vomiting – caused by the Nausea
• Extreme tenderness in the abdomen

Signs and symptoms that you might suffer from Chronic Pancreatitis:

• Consistent upper abdominal pain
• Pain that can worsen when you eat
• Losing weight without trying
• Oily, smelly stools (steatorrhea)

When To See A Doctor

No one usually likes to see a Doctor but if you have persistent abdominal pain it is your bodies way of telling you that you need help.

With an Acute Pancreatitis flare up where the pain becomes so severe that you can’t sit still or find a comfortable position you should see immediate medical help. If you can’t get in to see your Doctor right away you should get to the ER.

Chronic Pancreatitis can sneak up on you because it can be less severe than an acute flare up but it can be damaging your Pancreas all the same.

I know that going to see a Doctor or going to the ER can be a real hassle. But if you are feeling unusual pain you must see your Doctor.

Causes of Pancreatitis

The two biggest causes of pancreatitis that Doctors look for are alcohol abuse and gallstones. These two causes of Pancreatitis account for as much as 80% to 90% of all reported cases.

In fact almost every visit that I have had to a new Doctor or when I have to go into the hospital ER, the first question that they always ask is whether or not you drink alcohol. Even the nurses will get in on it and ask if you drink.

But there are many other things that can cause Pancreatitis and they all should be examined.

Alcohol and Pancreatitis

It is often estimated that the majority of cases of pancreatitis are from alcohol abuse and a person may already be suffering from chronic pancreatitis for a period of time before they finally go to their doctor.

Pancreatitis from alcohol use usually happens when there has been a long term history of at least 5-7 years of excessive drinking.

In fact, in my experiences, your Doctors’ first assumption if you suffer from Pancreatitis will always be that the problem was caused by alcohol.

But recent studies have shown that in certain people, because of a gene malformation, can be susceptible to Pancreatitis no matter how much or how long they drink alcohol.

Gallstones and Pancreatitis

Gallstones are caused by a buildup of different types of material within the gallbladder. Once created a gallstone is released to pass through the Pancreas and into the small intestines.

Sometime though a gallstone can block the pancreatic duct as it tries to pass out of the pancreas, which forms a sort of dam that traps the digestive juices produced inside the pancreas.

This can cause the Pancreas to basically start to eat itself and cause a flare up that can lead to Pancreatitis and damage the Pancreas.

Removing Your Gallbladder

This is why Doctors often recommend to the many people who suffer from Pancreatitis that they have their gallbladder removed.

Most people won’t have a problem with this removal but some may experience a problem. especially with digestion.

Bile is a liquid that is stored in the gallbladder and helps you to digest fatty foods. The gallbladder releases the bile it into your small intestine through your Pancreas.

But, according to Dr. Brugge, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, when you are not eating any food for a period of time, such as at night when you are sleeping, your gallbladder stores that bile. “The gallbladder holds maybe a cup of fluid,” says Brugge.

However, when you remove the gallbladder, you are removing this reservoir, Brugge says. So, even though you will still be producing the same amount of bile in your body, you will not be able to store the bile.

The result is that: “The bile is constantly being delivered into your intestine instead of being stored,” Brugge explains.

This, in theory, could mean that you won’t be able to digest food as well.

There are some lifestyle changes that can help ease problems with your digestion when you are living without a gallbladder:

• Adopt a low-fat diet
• Avoid eating fatty foods, such as fried foods
• Eat small, more frequent meals
• Avoid eating a very large meals

Other Causes Of Pancreatitis

The remaining 10% to 20% of cases of pancreatitis have different causes, including these:

• certain medications
• exposure to some chemicals
• injury (trauma), to the abdomin
• hereditary disease found in families
• results of surgery or other medical procedures,
• abnormalities in the pancreas or intestine
• high fat levels in the blood

It’s also a fact that in nearly 15% of cases of acute pancreatitis and 40% of cases of chronic pancreatitis, the cause is never known.

Conclusion To Causes Of Pancreatitis

Many times when we have a medical issue and go into the ER or to see our Doctor we are going because we want answers.

We are in pain or having a symptom that bothers us and we want to find out what it is, have it fixed, and make it go away.

But with diseases like Pancreatitis it’s not that simple. With so many different possible causes of Pancreatitis and so many different treatments, it can be a long painful process to even get the correct diagnosis.

No Doctor is going to want to give you pain pills and send you away unless they know what is causing the pain. And many Doctors aren’t experienced with Pancreatitis or know the latest findings.

This is why the more that we know about Pancreatitis the faster we can make the process. After all we lie insode our body every day and know when something isn’t quite right.

Knowing the terminology and what facts the Doctors are looking for to make a diagnosis can help you to help them and get you the help that you need.!

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