1 What is a disease?

Acute pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas, in which the organ itself is destroyed. Recently, only on the territory of the Russian Federation, the number of patients with this disease has increased three-fold. This is promoted by social causes: irregular irregular meals due to human employment or bad habits. The disease can develop even in children.

The disease is classified according to:

• acute pancreatitis( recurrent);
• chronic;
• is acute in chronic form.

The pancreas performs a special role in the body. It produces enzymes that participate in the processing of food( carbohydrates, proteins, fats).In addition to food splitting, the pancreas produces important hormones, one of which is insulin. Most people know that insulin regulates blood sugar levels. If the pancreas does not function properly, diabetes can develop - another incurable disease.

Chronic pancreatitis can be primary or secondary. The primary form develops gradually and for a long time, sometimes for 10 or more years. Secondary pancreatitis occupies 70% of all cases and develops from acute forms. Although the chronic form of pancreatitis does not show very serious symptoms, but for a long time, tissue destruction is still occurring.

2 Causes of

Digestive processes occur in the initial section of the small intestine, called the duodenum. Through the biliary tract passes bile, which helps digest food. There also get enzymes with pancreatic juice, which can split any living tissue. However, being in the pancreas in an inactive state, they do not cause harm.

As soon as contact with bile occurs, the enzymes are activated, which is very important for normal food processing. With pancreatitis, the following happens: digestive enzymes are activated ahead of time and begin to destroy the organ that produces them. So develops acute pancreatitis.

Disease can arise from the fact that enzymes can not pass freely through the ducts. The bile and pancreatic secret is constantly allocated. But thanks to the muscular sphincter, which contracts and relaxes, a natural outflow occurs. If there is blocking of the ducts, and this phenomenon is observed in diseases of the bile ducts, the sphincter function is disrupted.

Bile can not reach the intestine, but its development continues. Therefore, the organism takes it through the pancreatic ducts, where the activation of enzymes occurs, which involves the pancreas in the pathological process of inflammation. With this disease, even a lethal outcome is possible, if there is edema, internal bleeding or tissue necrosis.

3 What factors contribute to development?

As described above, acute pancreatitis is caused by cupping the ducts. This happens with cholelithiasis, when small concrements overlap the ducts. Other factors that provoke this disease are:

• excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages;
• abuse of substandard food;
• large gaps between meals;
• the use of marinated products and sour juices;
• psychological trauma;
• reception of cholagogue preparations;
• presence of gastrointestinal diseases;
• infection with parasites;
• peritoneal injury;
• reception of corticosteroids, estrogens.

To poor-quality food you can include meat and fish canned food, smoked products, carbonated drinks, fatty and fried street food( belyashi, pies, chebureks with mustard, ketchup, ajika).This is how most people work full-time and do not have the opportunity to eat fully.

Increases pancreatic secretion secretion by acidic production. It can be sauerkraut, mushrooms, cranberry or cranberry juice, kvass, beer. When consuming fats of vegetable and animal origin, bile is intensively produced, which produces the same effect. But with a free outflow, even excessive production of pancreatic or bile juices does not cause harm. The situation is aggravated by the violation of natural processes. Therefore, with pancreatitis, both acute and chronic, a very important diet.

Sometimes the ducts can overlap with ascarids - long and voluminous worms. The presence of peptic ulcer, enteritis, colitis, enterocolitis can also provoke an attack of pancreatitis. Another important factor that affects physical health is the mental state of a person. With nervous shocks, anxiety, fear, there is a spasm( contraction) of muscles and blood vessels, therefore the work of the whole GI system is disrupted.

4 Symptoms of acute phase

The acute form of pancreatitis is divided into mild, moderate and severe stages. The diagnosis is established on the basis of physiological, laboratory and radiological studies. At an easy stage there are no complications, and to treat the disease is much easier. The severe stage is accompanied by necrosis, and if the patient does not help in time, the patient may die.

The acute form of pancreatitis begins suddenly with a permanent deterioration of the condition. Some people may have their own individual signs of the disease. First of all, the patient is troubled by pain without certain localization, there may be shingling pain. When the posture changes, the sensations do not decrease or increase.

Sometimes there is a feeling that the ribs, scapula or clavicle hurt especially in the first 2 days of the attack. To the pain, vomiting is added. It occurs often, but relief does not come. The erupting mass contains bile, and sometimes blood. Such frequent vomiting leads to dehydration of the body, so patients experience thirst and dry mouth. In addition to these manifestations, heartbeat, weakness, lethargy, pale skin, lowering blood pressure.

Acute pancreatitis, the symptoms of which are manifested in such a vivid manner, is also accompanied by intoxication and temperature, especially against cholecystitis. Therefore, the patient is tormented by fever, chills, sweating. This condition develops from the 4th day of the disease. The patient may complain of a feeling of raspiraniya in the stomach, the accumulation of gases and the lack of stool. In some cases, intestinal obstruction of a functional nature is possible.

5 Clinical picture of

In chronic pancreatitis, symptoms, both treatment, and diet depend on the condition of each patient individually. The chronic form of the disease differs from acute by its sluggish character. This is the danger of illness. Clinical signs appear when the organ is already severely damaged. Chronic pancreatitis affects men more often. This is due to the fact that they are more likely to abuse alcohol and fatty foods than women. However, this disease can develop even in a child.

The main symptom of the disease is pain. Usually patients complain of the appearance of pain on the left under the ribs or the upper part of the abdomen. Pain can be permanent, aching or paroxysmal. In addition to pain, it is possible:

• nausea;
• vomiting;
• heartburn;
• diarrhea;
• lack of appetite;
• weight loss;
• enlargement of the liver and spleen;
• bloat;
• dry skin;
• jaundice sclera;
• hemorrhage at the sides during an exacerbation.

The chair of a patient with chronic pancreatitis becomes excessively light, clayey with pieces of undigested food. With the duration of the disease, the pancreas cicatrizes due to constant inflammation. As a result, it can not produce the necessary amount of enzymes, and food, especially fatty, is not digested.

If the inflammatory process touches that part of the body that is responsible for the production of insulin, then subsequently diabetes will develop. In addition to physical indisposition, a person becomes nervous, irritable and suffers from insomnia or restless, weak sleep.

6 Treatment activities

Depending on how the symptoms manifest themselves, treatment can be carried out in a hospital or outpatient setting. But this is more about the chronic form of the disease. Acute pancreatitis requires hospitalization. This is important in order to determine the severity of the disease through diagnosis and to remove acute symptoms.

Administration of medications depends on:

• prevalence of inflammation;
• forms of the disease( edematous or destructive);
• infection.

Conservative therapy includes adherence to bed rest, suppression of intoxication, elimination of spasms of smooth muscles, elimination of excessive secretion of pancreatic secretions. In the presence of infection, antibacterial drugs are prescribed. Surgical procedures are indicated for the destructive form of the disease. But an important therapeutic factor is diet.

The chronic form of the disease is treated in a similar way. Anesthetic preparations are prescribed for pain relief. Spasm of smooth muscles is eliminated by spasmolytics: no-spa or papaverine. Depending on the manifestations, antifenzional and metabolic agents are prescribed.

If there is an abscess, antibiotics are prescribed. After removing the acute process, the use of medicinal mineral waters is recommended. It is important to maintain the correct diet. In chronic pancreatitis, surgical treatment is used only in cases where stenosis, abscess or cyst develops, and it is no longer possible to stop the process with medication. In severe, neglected cases, a disability is registered.

7 Proper nutrition

Treatment, diet and prevention should occupy an important place in the life of a patient with pancreatitis of any form. To choose a diet is better after consultation with the attending physician. In the first days of an acute attack, doctors forbid anything to eat at all. The principle of nutrition is in intravenous infusions, that is, the patient receives nutrients through daily droppers.

Only after the improvement of the condition the patient is allowed to take food. But in some cases it is done through a special probe, which is injected through the nose into the stomach. After treatment, a strict diet with minimal fat intake is required. Categorically prohibited alcoholic beverages and dishes that stimulate the production of digestive enzymes.

It is not recommended to use pickles, marinades, various spices, smoked products, fat rich broths. Food should be cooked for a couple or bake in the oven. At an easy stage the person can gradually return to the ration. But if there are violations, after which the pancreas can not produce the necessary enzymes, diet 5 becomes an integral part of the whole subsequent life.

In chronic pancreatitis, a diet is also prescribed. As with the acute form, you must avoid fatty, salty, acidic, spicy dishes. You can eat meat, but it should be low-fat varieties. You can bake veal, rabbit, chicken. But the chicken must first remove the skin. In the diet should be dairy products with low fat content. Diet in this case means not fasting, but a balanced diet, so that a person gets all the necessary vitamins and minerals.