Pancrea diseases and its symptom by Dr. Oscar Páez, gastroenterologist from Barranquilla
Diseases of the pancreas
The pancreas is a gland located in the upper part of the abdomen and its main function is to produce digestive enzymes (exocrine) and insulin (endocrine).
Pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis can be caused by gallstones, alcohol abuse, medications, or toxins. Symptoms of acute pancreatitis include abdominal pain that may radiate to the back and/or chest, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills. Chronic pancreatitis can result from alcohol abuse, injury to the pancreas, or other diseases such as cystic fibrosis.
Symptoms of chronic pancreatitis include abdominal pain that may radiate to the back and/or chest, fatigue, steatorrhea (pale oily stools that contain abnormally high amounts of fat), early satiety (feeling of fullness after eating very little food) and weight loss.
Paraneoplastic syndromes
Paraneoplastic syndromes are tumors that release antigens that the immune system can treat as foreign, thus triggering an autoimmune response. Symptoms may include diarrhea, constipation, or altered bowel habits, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The most common causes of paraneoplastic syndromes are cancers that release antigens that the immune system can treat as foreign, triggering an autoimmune response. Common causes of paraneoplastic syndromes are:
- Lung cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Breast cancer
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is an autoimmune disease that affects the liver. Symptoms include fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite and weight loss, fever, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes), as well as dark-colored urine and light-colored stools.
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer is the most common malignant tumor of the small and large intestines. It is a disease that manifests itself by the formation of nodules or tumors in the walls of the pancreas, when it penetrates the blood vessels it will manifest as metastases to various organs or regions of the body. Pancreatic cancer is not actually manifested by a tumor, 90% of these patients are diagnosed by the presence of a mass or nodule on the outer face of the pancreas (mucosa).
The mortality rate is 40% and occurs within a year, many patients are infected with this disease without knowing it for a long time, the manifestations can be: severe abdominal pain, fever, loss of appetite and weight, jaundice (pale yellow color of the skin and conjunctivae) due to the development of an intestinal obstruction.
Dr. Oscar Páez is a gastroenterologist and internist in the city of Barranquilla, Colombia, specialists in treating pancreatic diseases. Schedule your appointment.