The pancreas basically has two important functions. One of these is the exocrine function, which is very important for digestion. The other is the hormonal, or endocrine, function that regulates blood sugar levels. While the pancreas performs its exocrine function by producing digestive enzymes and secreting them into the intestine, it performs its endocrine function by secreting the insulin hormone it produces into the blood and regulating blood sugar. Unfortunately, diseases of this small but important organ, which is located in the upper part of the abdomen, just behind the stomach, and plays a vital role in human metabolism, are often diagnosed late, which limits today's medicine from helping pancreatic patients. For this reason, early diagnosis of pancreatic diseases is very important for general health.
What are pancreatic diseases?
Primary diseases of the pancreas can be roughly classified as acute and chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. . Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. Acute pancreatitis often occurs with severe abdominal pain and may cause nausea and vomiting. Long-term, that is, chronic pancreatitis, although less severe, is manifested by long-lasting abdominal pain, which impairs the patient's quality of life, and weight loss and long-term diarrhea due to deterioration in digestion.
Factors that increase the occurrence of pancreatic cancer in patients are smoking, Although pancreatic cancer, which has a very insidious course, includes advanced age, gender (more common in men), the presence of chronic pancreatitis and exposure to some industrial chemicals, unfortunately it can also be seen in patients without these risk factors. Most pancreatic cancers (95%) are adenocarcinomas that develop in the exocrine tissues of the pancreas. It is very difficult to diagnose pancreatic cancer in the early stages, as it often does not show early symptoms or shows non-specific symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, loss of appetite and jaundice. The disease is more common after the age of 60 and generally spreads rapidly. At diagnosis, only about 10% of cancers remain within the pancreas and have not spread.
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