The pancreas is a gland that is located behind the stomach. Pancreatitis is the name given to the condition of an inflamed pancreas. The pancreas produces enzymes that help with the digestion and absorption of food.

When the pancreas is inflamed, the enzymes become active too soon, which in turn causes the digestion process to start too soon. In effect this means that the enzymes will start to digest the pancreas itself. Not a good plan!

We know that there can be two types of pancreatitis, acute and chronic. But we must also be aware of not only the differences between the two conditions but also the sometimes extreme variations between the two. The inflammation of the pancreas organ, which is pancreatitis, can manifest itself in a broad range of severity. Some attacks of acute pancreatitis can be one-off events and provide little future trouble for the patient. Other instances can be severe and on-going bouts of pain and inflammation. As we know the causes of pancreatitis can vary just as much as the severity.

For acute pancreatitis causes can include:

* blockage of the bile duct that may lead to acute pancreatitis
* obstruction of the pancreatic duct
* abscess or tumor
* physical injury to the abdomen which causes damage to the pancreas
* overindulgence in alcoholic beverages
* hypercalcemia that predisposes a person to stone formation in the pancreatic duct
* certain metabolic issues
* various viral infections including mumps, bacterial infections
* duodenal ulcer perforation into the pancreas
* peptic ulcer that has damaged the pancreas, and
* adverse reactions to drugs or medications such as valproic acid and sulfasalazine

For Chronic Pancreatitis these include:

* pancreatic pseudocysts
* traumatic injury to pancreas
* alcoholism (major cause)
* cystic fibrosis,
* Sjogren's syndrome (auto-immune disease)
* Alpha I trypsin deficiency
* Hyperparathyroidism
* tobacco usage; and
* high Cholesterol

Suffering Pancreatitis?
Pancreatitis is a difficult condition to diagnose and treat. Learning to live with pancreatitis can take years to achieve. Now it is possible to fast-track this process by applying the 5 Principles of Managing Your Pancreatitis.

It is often hard to determine if a patient is actually suffering from pancreatitis. The symptoms of chronic pancreatitis are much like those of other gastrointestinal conditions. Other disorders which may have symptoms that are much the same, include endometriosis, irritable bowel syndrome, pancreatic cancer, peptic ulcers, and gallstones.

At first, it is often not easy to get an accurate diagnosis, but it is nevertheless imperative to try and get a accurate picture of what is causing the pancreatitis (as best as can be determined) and the body's reaction to it. Keeping a diary of related events is a very useful tool to help with diagnosis and treatment. In the diary should be recorded things such as the treatments received, appointments with doctors, subject of talks with various doctors, food eaten and the medications taken. Keeping a diary of these events may very well prove to be a valuable tool in not only diagnosing, but also in the treatment of the condition. This step also starts to in-grain the attitude that YOU are responsible for understanding your condition and YOU are the one who knows it, and your body's reaction to it, the best.

The symptoms of both chronic and acute pancreatitis are similar. Patients will feel pain in the upper abdomen, radiating towards the back. This pain may come occasionally or may be continuous. Some people may feel this pain to the point that it disables them and interferes with normal, everyday activities. Once the condition advances, some patients report no longer feeling pain. Physicians hypothesize that this occurs because the pancreas eventually ceases to produce enzymes which cause further irritation.

Weight loss may also occur as the body does not properly absorb nutrients from food. This may occur despite the fact that the patient does have an appetite and eats normally. Food that is not digested completely is excreted from the body in the form of a bowel movement. Some patients may have more frequent bowel movements or may have diarrhea. Many will have steatorrhea, where the stool is bulky and filled with oily fats.

Of course, these symptoms may also indicate other conditions, however once again, start to keep records of those items mentioned above.

Recording this information will add greatly to the information gained from the medical tests you are likely to receive at this time. These include:

* A physical examination from your doctor
* Lab results from blood and/or stool tests
* Image tests - most likely the endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

The results of these tests coupled with the information you've recorded from your own diary notes will give you and your doctor much needed information about what has caused your condition, how your body is reacting to it and very importantly, provide significant insight into what you both can do about it!

If you want practical solutions that don't take years of trial and error and experimentation or cost you thousands of dollars, check out the free information at: Pancreatitis Advice