Can pancreatitis be prevented?
Acute inflammation of the pancreas is called pancreatitis. This is a life-threatening condition. You can confuse the disease with poisoning (food), since their symptoms are almost the same.
Signs of pancreatitis
Often, acute pancreatitis manifests after festivities, such as the New Year, which is celebrated with a large feast. The term "holiday pancreatitis" even came to be used by ambulance doctors. After all, it is often during the celebration that people consume alcoholic beverages with fatty food. Alcohol and a fatty snack have a very negative effect on the pancreas.
Pancreatitis causes nausea, then vomiting, and abdominal pain. Pain may be of various types. It's not just classic shingles. It may occur in both the right and the left subcostal ribs, passing by the sternum, under the scapula. The person has a fever. These are symptoms of pancreatitis onset.
The pancreas is located in the area under the stomach. It produces digestive juices, which break down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. By nature, pancreatic enzymes are only activated when they are already in the lumen of the intestine. I mean, the man ate the food. Food stimulates the secretion of pancreas juice as well as the secretion of pancreas juice. Food passes further, already partially processed by the stomach, and occurs in the duodenum with pancreatic enzymes, as well as with bile, which is also involved in digestion. Thus, the juice of the pancreas digests everything that has not been digested in the stomach.
Causes of Pancreatitis
The first cause: alcohol and fatty foods.
People often consume alcohol accompanied by fatty foods when celebrating an event. Once in the stomach, this combination strongly stimulates the production of pancreatic juice. Fatty foods trigger a massive secretion of both pancreatic and gastric juices. Alcohol not only causes this same effect but also leads to swelling of the intestinal wall and impaired blood flow in the pancreas. The result is an abundance of secretions, including pancreatic juice. Because there is such a large volume of enzymes—and nowhere for them to go—the pancreatic juice thickens, making it difficult to drain due to the swelling of the intestinal wall.
Enzymes secreted by the pancreas become active within the ducts and the organ itself, beginning to destroy the very organ that produced them. The pancreas undergoes breakdown and self-digestion under the influence of its own enzymes; this marks the onset of inflammation, accompanied by pain and nausea. Failure to respond immediately and correctly leads to the destruction of pancreatic tissue. The enzymes enter the bloodstream and are carried throughout the body, causing severe toxicity and pain; this progresses to pancreatic necrosis, a condition that can be fatal.
The second cause: the presence of gallstones.
A large gallstone is unlikely to trigger a bout of pancreatitis. However, a small stone can travel through the bile ducts and block the duct through which pancreatic juice exits. Consequently, the juice cannot flow into the intestinal lumen, and the pancreas begins to digest itself. To prevent this, it is recommended to undergo preventive check-ups and abdominal ultrasound scans. Ultrasound imaging is precisely what detects the presence or absence of gallstones.
The third cause: stressful situations.
Stress triggers a massive release of adrenaline, which can impair blood supply to various organs. Adrenaline causes vascular and muscular spasms, disrupting blood circulation and creating conditions where the pancreas may—once again—activate its own enzymes and begin digesting itself.
The fourth cause: consumption of foods harmful to the body.
In the past, pancreatitis affected only adults, but recently, acute pancreatitis has begun to appear in children as well. Modern children and teenagers enjoy snacks like croutons and potato chips; these often contain substances that stimulate the secretion of digestive juices in quantities far exceeding those triggered by, say, three bowls of soup. If a child eats chips or croutons after a hearty meal, the digestive organs become overexcited and overstimulated, creating the perfect conditions for the development of pancreatitis.
Reason number five: irregular eating habits.
Engaging in "fasting days" to lose weight, restricting food intake, or skipping meals altogether can trigger pancreatitis. After a prolonged fast, the pancreas may secrete an excessive amount of digestive juices, leading to the condition. If this happens regularly, it paves the way for chronic inflammation.
When food intake is irregular, the body is under stress due to the constant alternation between eating and fasting. Consequently, the pancreas conserves energy until the next meal. If a person then overeats, the pancreas releases an excessive amount of digestive juice, which promotes inflammation. Surgeons note that pancreatitis is also common among students, whose diets are often haphazard and irregular—characterized by poor-quality food and erratic meal times.
How to handle the holidays!
It is recommended to eat small portions at frequent intervals—ideally spreading your meal over four or five sittings—and to take a short walk afterward. This gives your body time to digest the food properly.
Avoid pairing alcohol with fatty foods; vegetable-based snacks or lemon are better choices. Incidentally, lemon is effective at neutralizing the negative effects of alcohol.
Pharmacies offer various pills to aid digestion. While these can certainly help, there is a downside: regular use causes the pancreas to become "lazy" and stop functioning correctly. You should not take such pills more than once a month; otherwise, you risk severely compromising your pancreas's function. Ultimately, it could stop working altogether, leading to chronic pancreatitis.
