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Showing posts from January, 2019

Pancreatitis - Symptoms and Causes

The pancreas is a large gland behind the stomach and next to the small intestine. The pancreas does two main things: It releases powerful digestive enzymes into the small intestine to aid the digestion of food. It releases the hormones insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream. These hormones help the body control how it uses food for energy. Pancreatitis is a disease in which the pancreas becomes inflamed. Pancreatic damage happens when the digestive enzymes are activated before they are released into the small intestine and begin attacking the pancreas. Symptoms of pancreatitis The main symptom of acute and chronic pancreatitis is pain in your upper abdomen that may spread to your back People with acute or chronic pancreatitis may feel the pain in different ways. Acute pancreatitis Acute pancreatitis usually starts with pain that begins slowly or suddenly in your upper abdomen sometimes spreads to your back can be mild or severe may last for several days Other