{"id":6131,"date":"2023-06-30T10:11:07","date_gmt":"2023-06-30T04:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lalpathlabs.com\/blog\/?p=6131"},"modified":"2023-10-12T10:39:42","modified_gmt":"2023-10-12T05:09:42","slug":"pancreas-and-its-functions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lalpathlabs.com\/blog\/pancreas-and-its-functions\/","title":{"rendered":"Pancreas: Functions, Diseases &amp; Diagnosis"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What is Pancreas?<\/h2>\n<p>The Pancreas is a solid organ located behind the stomach, across the back of the belly. It is surrounded by other organs such as the liver, spleen, and small intestine.<\/p>\n<p>The Pancreas plays a vital role in converting the food we eat into fuel for the body&#8217;s cells. The pancreas has two primary functions, exocrine digestion and endocrine blood sugar regulation. Let us look at various functions of the pancreas in the next section.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-6150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lalpathlabs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/disease-of-pancreas.jpg\" alt=\"disease-of-pancreas\" width=\"1200\" height=\"600\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>What are the functions of the Pancreas?<\/h2>\n<p>There are two main pancreas functions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Exocrine Function:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Exocrine glands present in the pancreas produce enzymes essential to digestion. These enzymes include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Trypsin and Chymotrypsin<\/strong> help to digest proteins<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amylase<\/strong> helps in the digestion of carbohydrates<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lipase<\/strong> works together with bile to break down fats into fatty acids and cholesterol<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Endocrine Function:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The pancreas creates and releases essential hormones directly into the bloodstream. The main pancreatic hormones are<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Insulin<\/strong> acts to lower blood sugar.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Glucagon<\/strong> acts to raise blood sugar.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gastrin<\/strong> stimulates the stomach to make gastric acid.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amylin<\/strong> helps control appetite and emptying of the stomach.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Maintaining blood sugar levels is vital for organs such as the brain, liver, and kidneys to function properly.<\/p>\n<h2>What are the common diseases of the Pancreas?<\/h2>\n<p>The common diseases of the Pancreas include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Pancreatitis <\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Pancreatic Cancer<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Diabetes<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Weight Loss and Diarrhea:<\/strong> If the pancreas does not produce enough digestive enzymes, it can lead to weight loss and diarrhea.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hyperglycemia<\/strong> happens when the body produces too much Glucagon, resulting in high blood sugar levels.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hypoglycemia<\/strong> happens when the body produces too much Insulin, resulting in low blood sugar levels.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cystic Fibrosis <\/strong>is associated with sticky mucus, which can prevent digestive enzymes from being released into the duodenum.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What are the common\u00a0symptoms of Pancreas disorders?<\/h2>\n<p>Depending on the actual disease, a person may complain of different symptoms.<\/p>\n<p>These symptoms may appear rapidly (acute) or take some time to develop (chronic). However, some common symptoms that could point towards a pancreas disorder include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Nausea or Vomiting<\/li>\n<li>Fever<\/li>\n<li>Muscle Aches<\/li>\n<li>Abdominal pain, tenderness, and swelling<\/li>\n<li>Weight Loss<\/li>\n<li>Diarrhea<\/li>\n<li>Jaundice, yellowing of the skin and eyes<\/li>\n<li>Fatigue<\/li>\n<li>Greasy stools<\/li>\n<li>Blurry vision<\/li>\n<li>Tingling in hands or feet<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What are the risk factors of a Pancreatic disorder?<\/h2>\n<p>If you have any of the risk factors listed below, you may be more likely to develop pancreatic disease:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Diabetes<\/li>\n<li>Liver Problems<\/li>\n<li>Stomach infections<\/li>\n<li>Overuse of alcohol<\/li>\n<li>Obesity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Diagnosis Of Pancreas Disorders<\/h2>\n<p>Diagnosing diseases and conditions involving the pancreas is done with a variety of lab and imaging tests, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Blood tests<\/strong>\u00a0evaluate pancreatic enzymes, liver enzymes, and white blood cell levels, along with kidney function.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Abdominal Ultrasound<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Angiography<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>CT Scan<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>ERCP<\/strong> combines Endoscopy and X-rays to evaluate the pancreas and the bile ducts<\/li>\n<li><strong>MRI Scan <\/strong>focused on the pancreas and bile ducts.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fecal Elastase Test <\/strong>measures the elastase levels in the stool. This test is used to detect exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI).<\/li>\n<li><strong>The secretin pancreatic function test <\/strong>evaluates the response of the pancreas to the secretin hormone.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Endoscopic ultrasound <\/strong>helps assess inflammation and blockages in the pancreatic or bile duct.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What are the tips for maintaining a healthy Pancreas?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Here are the tips for maintaining a healthy pancreas:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Quit smoking and avoid secondhand smoke. It can raise your risk of pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid alcohol.<\/li>\n<li>Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week.<\/li>\n<li>Achieve and maintain a healthy weight.<\/li>\n<li>Eat a low-fat diet, as high fat intake can cause pancreatitis.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Disclaimer:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>This blog is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as advice or as a substitute for consulting a physician. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment from a healthcare professional. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is Pancreas? The Pancreas is a solid organ located behind the stomach, across the back of the belly. It is surrounded by other organs such as the liver, spleen, and small intestine. The Pancreas plays a vital role in converting the food we eat into fuel for the body&#8217;s cells. The pancreas has two [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":9362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1055],"tags":[1614,1615,1616,1617],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lalpathlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6131"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lalpathlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lalpathlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lalpathlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lalpathlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6131"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lalpathlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8997,"href":"https:\/\/www.lalpathlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6131\/revisions\/8997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lalpathlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lalpathlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lalpathlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lalpathlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}