Pancreatitis: causes, symptoms and treatment in adults

What kind of pathology

With inflammatory lesions of the pancreas in patients, the ductal channels are blocked, as a result of which the secretion produced by the gland is sent to the small intestine. Due to the inflammatory process, the iron begins to digest itself. In adult women and men, the development of the disease often occurs against the background of alcohol abuse, although there are many factors that provoke this pathology.

As a result of inflammatory processes, pancreatic functions are gradually disrupted; enzyme components are deprived of the opportunity to penetrate the duodenum, remaining inside the glandular organ. Self-digestion processes, actively released toxic substances and excess enzyme components can provoke the penetration of harmful substances into the bloodstream. As a result, damage to neighboring organs such as the heart, kidney structures and liver can occur. Symptoms usually occur during the self-digestion stage.

In the absence of timely medical care, the pathology is fraught with the development of necrotic processes, which is dangerously fatal for the patient. If pancreatitis is detected in a timely manner, the prognosis for recovery is about 80%, the rest are faced with chronicity of the pathological process. The pathology is considered threshold and manifests itself brightly, but at the same time it develops latently and with a long-term accumulation of negative elements.

Types of pancreatitis

The disease varies. From case to case, pancreatitis, symptoms and treatment in women are excellent. It all depends on the type of disease that has affected the body, and determining it is very important, since it affects the success of therapy.

So, inflammation of the pancreas happens:

sharp;
chronic.

These same types of illness are divided into several more categories.

There are the following types of chronic pancreatitis:

Calcific.
Occurs in most cases. In the calcifying form of the disease, the lesion is uneven. Its intensity in neighboring lobules of the gland can vary greatly.
Obstructive.
Develops against the background of obstruction of the main duct. The damage is uniform. Sometimes the disease is accompanied by diffuse atrophy or fibrosis of the exocrine pancreas.
Inflammatory.
With this type of pancreatitis, the pancreatic parenchyma atrophies. Healthy tissue is replaced by fibrous areas.
Fibrosis.
In this case, pancreatitis symptoms and treatment in women assume the most serious. Patients with this diagnosis do not have most of the parenchyma, and intrasecretory pancreatic insufficiency is observed.

Acute pancreatitis symptoms and treatment in women are slightly different.

The following forms of the problem are distinguished:

Hemorrhagic.
With this disease, hemorrhage occurs in the pancreas tissue.
Cholecytopancreatitis.
In this case, symptoms of acute cholecystitis join pancreatitis.
Purulent.
With this form of the disease, purulent foci are visible on the pancreas.
Ipterstitial.
This type of pancreatitis is characterized by the appearance of acute edema.
Pancreatic necrosis.
Necrotic processes develop in the tissues of the gland (which becomes very dense).

Why does it occur

A variety of factors can trigger the development of symptoms of pancreatitis. The most common include:

Alcohol abuse. There is an opinion that only alcohol-containing drinks can provoke pancreatitis and other liver ailments, but this is not true. Acute forms of pathology occur predominantly (60%) in alcohol addicts, but the risk group includes people who simply like to drink. The greatest threat to the pancreas comes from sweet alcohol in the form of various vermouths, liqueurs, dessert or muscat wines, etc. The causes of alcoholic pancreatitis come down to regular consumption of large amounts of alcohol.
Unhealthy approach to diet. The functions of the gland also include helping to digest heavy and fatty foods, however, when overeating, the load on the organ increases, forcing it to function in the most rigid mode. Fatty foods are particularly harmful to the pancreas.
Constant stress. Signs of pancreatitis in women are often associated with stressful experiences. Sometimes the disease worsens against the background of conception, since pregnancy is also considered an extreme condition, against the background of which drastic hormonal changes occur. This factor often provokes chronic pancreatitis.
Tobacco smoking also contributes to the development of pancreatitis, as it causes vascular spasms in all intraorganic structures. With severe spasms, typical of a smoker, obstruction of the ductal channels occurs, activating the development of inflammation in the pancreas.
When the bile ducts are damaged, liver and gall bladder activity are disrupted, a biliary type of pathology is formed. It can also occur during therapy with choleretic medications. For biliary-dependent pancreatitis, the presence of concomitant pathologies such as cirrhosis or hepatitis, gall bladder dyskinesia or cholecystitis is typical.
The toxic form of the disease often develops in patients employed in highly hazardous industries, where poisoning occurs with paint fumes, mercury, metals and other aggressive chemical compounds that are dangerous to humans. Typically, with this etiology, chronic forms of the disease are detected.
Sometimes the provocateur of inflammation of the pancreatic gland is some kind of gastrointestinal disease such as ulcerative lesions, invasive pathologies, etc.
Reactive pancreatitis occurs against the background of digestive pathologies. This is an acute inflammatory process of an aseptic nature, which is characterized by rapid clinical regression almost immediately after the start of treatment.

Due to the highest prevalence of alcohol addiction and tobacco smoking among male patients, as well as difficult working conditions, pancreatitis in this category of patients is also detected much more often than in the weaker half of the population.

Symptoms of severe forms of pancreatitis

If treatment is not started in a timely manner, the disease becomes severe, causing the patient to develop shock or collapse.

The first signs of severe pancreatitis are, of course, a change in skin color, it becomes pale or yellow, and cyanosis may also occur.

In order to understand what cyanosis is, pay attention not only to the epidermis, but also to the color of the mucous membranes. With cyanosis they have a bluish color.

Edematous pancreatitis

This disease is rare in women, but, nevertheless, it is necessary to be aware of its first signs.
The disease is not accompanied by changes at the cellular level, but is characterized by severe swelling of the interstitial space. Also read: Pancreatic amylase: what is it?

Main symptoms:

The patient becomes weak.
Headache or dizziness.
A woman with an edematous form of pancreatitis experiences a feeling of weakness and sleep disturbance.

Local clinical signs include epigastric pain, but only on the left side, and dyspeptic disorders, which are described above.

Also, with the edematous form of pancreatitis, the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted, so there are problems with appetite and stool.

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Remember, if you notice the first signs of any form of pancreatitis, you should immediately consult a doctor. After all, only a doctor can prescribe tests and adequate treatment for you.

You should not self-medicate, this can lead not only to complications, but also to death.

Signs of pathology

Clinical signs of pancreatic inflammation depend on many factors - whether the disease has a chronic or acute course, its specific form and etiology, state of neglect, etc. Experts note that the pathology manifests more severely than in chronic forms, sometimes there is even a threat of necrotic processes in the pancreatic gland.

First signs in adults

The appearance of the first symptoms of pancreatic inflammation occurring in adult patients is difficult to miss, since the first manifestations are quite pronounced pain in the abdomen, radiating to the scapular or sternal area and not amenable to relief with analgesic drugs. Moreover, with pancreatitis, the character of the stool changes greatly in patients. Stool often has a foamy appearance, is foul-smelling, and contains chunks of undigested food. Diarrhea often alternates with difficulty defecating.

Also, the first signs of pancreatic pathology may be frequent nausea, intrauterine rumbling or heartburn. Patients are also concerned about the manifestations of unpleasant-smelling belching and foul-smelling gases. However, the main sign indicating the presence of problems in the pancreatic gland is increased painful discomfort after eating, accompanied by vomiting reactions and a sharp deterioration in well-being.

At the same time, the development of pathology in the pancreas can be suspected based on external signs, since with this disease the tongue is covered with a white coating, the oral cavity is dry, vitamin deficiency is disturbing, and red spots of unknown origin appear on the surface of the body. Common manifestations include hyperthermic reactions and hypersweating with copious secretion of sticky, cold sweat. Problems with blood pressure indicators appear, the muscle tissue of the peritoneum hardens, often suffers from intolerance to the odors of certain foods, rapid weight loss, and shortness of breath. Depending on the form of the course, the clinic changes somewhat, as does the nature of the pain.

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Acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatic inflammation appears suddenly and with a pronounced clinical picture. Vivid symptoms are as follows:

acute pain with girdling pain;
tachycardic symptoms;
vomiting reactions that do not bring any relief to the patient;
whitish color of stool, indicating a deficiency of enzymatic substances;
some cyanosis appears in the navel area, and against the background of intoxication, the surface of the body becomes covered with red spots;
the pressure may begin to jump, sometimes jumping sharply, sometimes decreasing, and even the onset of a coma is possible.

Sometimes such symptoms also manifest themselves in other pathological conditions of the digestive organs, such as acute appendicitis or ulcerative perforation in the gastrointestinal tract. If acute symptoms occur, the patient should be hospitalized for inpatient treatment.

Chronic form of pathology

If pancreatic inflammatory processes have become chronic, it can be extremely difficult to detect them. But chronic forms of pathology are not considered urgent conditions and do not pose a threat to the life of patients. Chronic pancreatitis, as a rule, occurs with symptoms such as nausea after eating, mild pain in the back in the gastric projection.

Patients lose a lot of weight because they usually lose their appetite. Also characteristic manifestations of chronic inflammation include bloating and belching, heartburn or nagging pain in the hypochondrium.

Signs of other pancreatic diseases

In addition to acute inflammatory processes, there may be other diseases in the organ. The symptoms are determined by the characteristics of the pathological process and can be unique in each case. However, the symptoms of pancreatic pain always include any of the above. To make an accurate diagnosis in this case, it is necessary to conduct additional examinations, for example, ultrasound or biopsy.

Symptoms of pancreatic tumors

The detection of oncological pathology is of greatest importance, since the sooner treatment for such a disease begins, the greater the person’s chances for a full recovery. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of patients with neoplasms of the digestive system, including the pancreas.

Tumors in this organ can arise both from cells responsible for the synthesis of enzymes and from hormonally active tissues. In both cases, symptoms resembling acute pancreatitis or exacerbation of chronic pancreatitis are noted. Depending on which part of the organ the tumor is located, additional manifestations may appear.

First aid for an attack

Exacerbation of pancreatitis is quite difficult for patients, especially the elderly. The resulting excruciating pain is concentrated in the center of the abdomen and in the left hypochondrium. Sometimes the pain syndrome during an attack is atypical in nature, manifesting itself in the form of angina pain. Patients note the presence of literally burning pain, which makes them rush around the bed in the hope of finding a more comfortable and less painful position of the body.

The pain in this case tends to intensify when you try to lie on your back. The weakening of the unpleasant symptom occurs only in cases when the patient takes a semi-sitting position with some bending forward. Also, the pain subsides when the patient lies down in the fetal position or simply lies on his side.

In acute pancreatitis, the symptoms are supplemented by hyperthermic conditions and a drop in blood pressure (sometimes to critical levels and other unpleasant clinical conditions, therefore they require urgent assistance to the patient. Until the ambulance arrives, the patient can be helped by the following actions:

providing the patient with maximum physical peace;
you need to remove constrictive or too tight clothes, especially in cases where they compress the stomach;
Patients should breathe with shallow breaths, superficially, with breath holds, which will help reduce pain;
You shouldn’t eat, but, on the contrary, you should drink, but only in small portions, literally a sip at an interval of half an hour;
if you are worried about vomiting, then there is no need to rinse the gastric cavity; on the contrary, you should press on the root of the tongue to facilitate the release of vomit;
it is recommended to administer intramuscularly an antispasmodic such as No-shpa or Papaverine, Platiphylline, and also to supplement the antispasmodic effect with the administration of Diphenhydramine and Atropine;
if it is not possible to give an injection, then you need to give the patient No-shpu in tablets, and sometimes it is replaced with Nitroglycerin under the tongue;
painkillers cannot be taken before the doctor arrives, otherwise the clinical picture will be erased, which will significantly complicate the diagnosis of the disease;
It is also unacceptable to take enzyme preparations, because their therapeutic effect only aggravates the patient’s well-being;
You should not apply cold to the source of painful sensations, since it can increase spasms, which will only worsen the condition of the pancreas.

If there is an exacerbation of the chronic form of the pathology, then the clinical picture is generally the same, only it does not appear so clearly. Symptoms of complications of chronic pancreatitis often appear after a meal, when the patient ate something forbidden to him, drank alcohol, got too carried away with cigarettes or experienced stress.

If the patient, without diagnosis, is sure that the attack is caused by pancreatic pathology, then you can take some medications for pancreatitis of the pancreas during exacerbation, for example, something painkiller like Baralgin or Spazmalgon, Ibuprofen or Metamizole, etc. For better bile outflow and separation of pancreatic secretions, it is worth giving give the patient a couple of Allochol tablets. It is fundamentally important to take this medication together with No-shpa, and only in cases where there are no stones in the gall bladder.

Causes of pancreatitis in women

Diseases such as cholecystitis and pancreatitis are closely related. The fact is that in most cases, it is gallbladder diseases that provoke inflammation of the pancreas.

In addition, the disease can develop due to:

alcohol abuse;
unhealthy diet (unbalanced, with a lot of fat, spicy, smoked food);
abdominal injuries;
inflammation of the peritoneum;
infections (such as viral hepatitis, for example, and sometimes pancreatitis can even develop as a complication after the flu).

Features of treatment

The main treatment is carried out in a hospital setting according to an individually selected scheme. Antispasmodic drugs are usually prescribed to relieve pain symptoms. The most common antispasmodics for pancreatic inflammation are Drotaverine and Duspatalin, Phenicaberan or Sparex. Pathological pain is relieved by taking Famotidine or Ranitidine.

The effectiveness of drug therapy in adult patients and adolescents depends on the correct selection of medications. In general, therapy for pancreatitis is based on taking drugs from various groups:

to reduce secretion, it is recommended to take anticholinergics such as Chlorosil, Metapin or Gastrocepin;
to relieve inflammation, anti-enzyme drugs such as Contrical, Trypsin, Asparkam or Pantripin are indicated, the action of which is aimed at reducing pain, microcirculatory disorders or swelling;
antisecretory medications and blockers like Omeprazole, Rabeloc, as well as cytostatics - Amidopyrine, Gordox, etc.;
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To reduce the load on the pancreas, therapy for pancreatitis also includes taking enzyme agents like Pancreatin, Creon, etc.

Patients are also prescribed medications to improve gastrointestinal functions and normalize acidity in the digestive system. If the clinical picture is severe and occurs with severe digestive dysfunction, then parenteral nutrition with intravenous administration of specialized solutions is indicated.

Diet therapy

Drug therapy is certainly effective, but if the diet is not followed, it will be weak. Recovery is possible only with strict adherence to the rules of nutrition and diet therapy. Nutrition rules require strict adherence to portions, the amount of 150 g at a time cannot be exceeded, and food should be consumed in ground form. You should not skip meals; on the contrary, you should try to eat at the same time.

It is necessary to limit fats and carbohydrates, giving preference to protein foods. You should not eat tangerines if you have pancreatitis, as they contain fruit acids and dietary fiber, which activate the secretion of digestive juice, causing an increase in fermentation, thereby loading the pancreas. Therefore, fresh tangerines are contraindicated.

Avocados for pancreatitis, if the pathology occurs in an acute form, are also contraindicated, because the fruit is very fatty and requires increased production of pancreatic enzymes. Moreover, the presence of plant fibers increases flatulence and diarrhea. The fruit can be eaten in limited quantities only in a state of remission of pancreatic inflammation and in the absence of contraindications.

But whether you can eat broccoli for pancreatitis or not is a question often asked by patients with this pathology. Cabbage of this variety, like other types of this vegetable, is contraindicated in acute forms of inflammation. But during the period of remission, eating such cabbage is even useful. It will help you recover faster, reduce the risks of vascular atherosclerosis and cancer pathologies, and the sulforaphane present in the composition will help relieve inflammation and calm the pancreas.

Pancreatitis treatment tablets which are better

The tactics of therapeutic correction are determined by the form of the pathology. Acute pancreatitis requires inpatient observation in the surgical department. First, the following measures are taken and the following medications are prescribed:

starvation diet;
narcotic analgesics;
saline infusion;
drugs that inhibit proteolysis enzymes.

In the absence of positive dynamics and if there is a risk of complications for adults and children, surgical measures are prescribed, namely:

peritoneal lavage (the abdominal cavity is washed);
necroectomy (resection of affected organ tissue).

In the correction of chronic pancreatitis for children and adults, the following measures are taken:

A strict diet that involves avoiding fatty and spicy foods, as well as alcoholic beverages.
Prescription of analgesics.
Prescription of enzyme replacement treatment - tablets Creon, Mezim, Pancreatin. The price of such drugs is low; examples of drugs can be seen in the photo .
Prescription of therapy for concomitant pathologies: diabetes mellitus, cholelithiasis, gastrointestinal erosions (for their therapy, Omeprazole , or Omez ).

In some situations, it is possible to prescribe operational corrective measures.

Folk remedies

There are many folk recipes that help cope with pancreatic inflammation. It is useful to drink oatmeal jelly from sprouted grains, rosehip infusion or decoction of flax seeds, carrot and potato juice, etc. When stable remission occurs, it is recommended to take black cumin oil as a useful dietary supplement, since it reduces the load on the pancreas, reduces inflammation and sugar content in the pancreas. bloodstream, and also has an antimicrobial, antifungal and antiparasitic effect.

To prevent pancreatic inflammation, you should eliminate unhealthy habits, control your weight, follow the principles of diet therapy, and regularly drink infusions and herbal remedies to cleanse the body. To maintain the pancreas and liver, you should drink enzyme preparations, especially in cases where you are going to attend some noisy feast with an abundance of alcohol and fatty foods. The drugs will help reduce the load on the pancreas and liver structures.

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Complications of the disease

Complications of pancreatitis are dangerous and can lead to death. Early complications of acute and recurrent chronic pancreatitis:

shock - the patient’s blood pressure drops sharply and vital organs fail;
acute renal and liver failure (cessation of liver function, as well as urine filtration, which leads to poisoning of the body with toxic metabolic products);
ulcerations of the digestive tract mucosa, gastrointestinal bleeding due to intoxication;
thrombosis of blood vessels of internal organs, which leads to necrosis of their areas;
psychosis due to intoxication. Patients who have consumed alcohol experience hallucinations and motor agitation.

Late complications, as a rule, are associated with infection and develop no earlier than 2 weeks of illness. The most common:

purulent processes - abscesses, phlegmon, melting of fatty tissue surrounding the pancreas, peritonitis;
sepsis;
cysts;
fistulas;
damage to the lungs and surrounding pleural layers.

When the head of the pancreas increases in size, obstructive jaundice occurs.