Pancreatitis, at first it seems, is not such a serious disease. But not everyone has an idea of ​​what is fraught with poor functioning of the pancreas. This pathology always proceeds with obvious pains, but there are other signs of pancreatitis that somehow prevent the patient from leading a full-fledged lifestyle.

Causes of Pancreatitis

As a rule, people with pancreatitis are ill who do not seek to maintain a healthy lifestyle: alcohol abusers (about 50% of patients), eat fatty foods in large quantities, as well as those who are used to overeat, and smokers.

Pancreatitis can develop in the presence of such predisposing factors:

  • if the body has a metabolic disorder;
  • if the patient previously suffered diseases of the biliary system;
  • if the patient had a stomach ulcer or duodenal ulcer;
  • the patient suffered an infectious disease;
  • the patient shortly before the disease developed diabetes;
  • there are diseases of the cardiovascular system;
  • if the patient has severe allergies and, shortly before the onset of pancreatitis, there was an exacerbation of the allergy;
  • anomalies in the structure of the ducts or their narrowing due to tumors;
  • in women, the disease can develop due to pregnancy, menopause, taking hormonal drugs and other factors that provoke hormonal changes;
  • the patient has worms;
  • if the patient previously underwent surgery on the stomach;
  • the patient has a hereditary predisposition to pancreatitis;
  • the patient has been taking certain medications for too long or out of control.

Important! In about 20% of patients, the cause of acute pancreatitis cannot be determined in a timely manner. Very often it manifests itself in men.

First signs of an attack

One of the first and obvious symptoms of the pathology under discussion is excruciating pain in the upper abdomen, sometimes passing into the dorsal region. It can not be removed with antispasmodics and analgesics. It is so unbearable that sometimes even a pain shock occurs.

Among the signs of acute pancreatitis, nausea and vomiting, loose stools (may contain residues of undigested food), palpitations, weakness in the limbs and throughout the body are also observed.

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Attention! If the first signs of acute pancreatitis were found, you should immediately consult a doctor for help. Self-medication can be hazardous to health.

Symptoms of the disease

Symptoms of acute pancreatitis are as follows:

  1. Severe cutting or dull pain, disturbing in the upper abdomen under the ribs. Sometimes it gives to the lumbar spine.
  2. Sudden pressure surges.
  3. Blanching of the skin. Usually it takes on a grayish tint.
  4. An increase in body temperature against the background of the inflammatory process.
  5. Nausea, hiccups, belching, dry mouth, vomiting.
  6. Tension of the abdominal muscles.
  7. Liquid stool with slices of undigested food.
  8. Dyspnea.
  9. The formation of plaque on the surface of the tongue, with a yellow tint.
  10. Bloating.

In people with a chronic form, the symptoms are not so acute. It can drag on for decades.

Chronic pancreatitis can be determined if the patient complains of the following disorders in the body:

  1. Acute pain that does not have a specific localization. Usually it appears immediately after eating, it becomes even stronger as a result of eating fatty or spicy foods, as well as smoked meats.
  2. Diarrhea.
  3. Heaviness in the stomach.
  4. Nausea.
  5. A growing sense of hunger.
  6. Increased sweating.
  7. Muscle tremors.
  8. Weakness.
  9. Intoxication.
  10. Chronic fatigue.
  11. Fever.

People who have been suffering from pancreatitis for several years usually feel mild abdominal pain. But sometimes it may be completely absent.

The skin becomes pale and dry. People tend to lose weight for no apparent reason, even with a good appetite. Patients quickly get tired and suffer from diarrhea.

If these symptoms occur, you should consult a gastroenterologist. Remember, the earlier pancreatitis is detected, the easier, faster and cheaper it is to cure.

Types of inflammation of the pancreas

It is customary to distinguish three main types of the pathology under discussion:

  1. Acute. This type of pancreatitis often occurs due to other ailments of the gallbladder and malnutrition. It can also be caused by physical factors.
  2. Chronic. It develops in violation of the diet or as a result of improper treatment. Most of all, this type of disease affects people over 30 years old.
  3. Reactive. This type of pancreatitis is characterized as an acute form of the disease with seizures. It occurs due to ulcers, gastritis, hepatitis or inflammation of the pancreas.

Diagnostic measures

Determining pancreatitis is quite simple. It is necessary to pass some tests, and then, if there are deviations from the norm, conduct additional studies.

  • First, you need to take a blood test: general and biochemical.
  • Secondly, urinalysis (biochemical, according to Nechiporenko) and feces is mandatory. If bilirubin is present in the urine, the number of leukocytes is increased, glucose is increased, you should think about further contact with a specialist.

If there are deviations from the norm in the analyzes, the doctor will most likely prescribe additional examinations at his discretion.

Pancreatitis treatment in adults and children

Having discovered the first symptoms of pancreatitis, it is recommended to consult a doctor immediately. Ignoring the disease or improper treatment in adults and children can even lead to death.

Drug treatment

The list of drugs for the treatment of pancreatitis is prescribed by a specialist in this field after the diagnosis of the patient. Medicines are selected individually, depending on many factors (the degree of pancreatitis, history, age and personal characteristics of the patient's body).

Usually, drug treatment in general terms looks like this:

  1. Drugs are prescribed that can relieve pain. These are antispasmodics and m-anticholinergics. If the pain is so severe that it cannot be relieved with the help of the two groups of drugs listed above, then H2 blockers are used.
  2. Medicines are used that can stop the processes that trigger the destruction of the pancreas. Such treatment is called antienzyme therapy. Thanks to it, enzymes are blocked (trypsin, trasylol, gordox and others), protein synthesis in the gland is inhibited. Antenzyme therapy will help the patient get rid of pain, swelling and intestinal disorders.
  3. Further, the patient uses pancreatic enzymes to relieve stress from the pancreas. They also contribute to the breakdown of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
  4. The next task is to normalize the acid-base balance.
  5. After that, vitamins A, E, C, D, K and, certainly, B vitamins are introduced into the body, weakened by the disease and taking medications.
  6. Another task of the doctor is to increase the efficiency of the patient’s gastrointestinal tract using prokinetics.
  7. If the patient has a complex stomach upset, the doctor prescribes parenteral nutrition, which is administered intravenously in the form of a mixture of the necessary amino acids or electrolyte solutions.

Traditional medicine recipes

First, it is important to warn - it is strictly forbidden to treat acute pancreatitis at home.

But if the patient has a chronic form of pathology, then home therapy is acceptable. Such treatment is usually aimed at eliminating the symptoms that are manifested and eliminating the destruction of the pancreas. When the patient begins home treatment, as in a hospital setting, he must strictly adhere to the diet.

Among folk remedies, there are many effective. The most effective recipes, in our opinion, are described below.

Oat Kissel

  1. Pour pure oats with water and leave to brew for a day.
  2. Then it is dried and crushed.
  3. After again, fill with water, bring to a boil and boil for 3 to 4 minutes.
  4. We give the composition time to infuse (up to a third of the hour).
  5. The resulting jelly is filtered through a sieve or cheesecloth, and cooled.

You can take jelly only fresh. If you brew it in advance, it will lose its useful properties.

Potato juice

  1. 3 washed potatoes and squeeze the juice (yield about 200 ml).
  2. It should be taken fresh before starting the main meal.

Herbs:

  • Yarrow - 1 tbsp. l., chamomile - 1 tbsp. l., calendula - 1 tbsp. l Mix and pour boiling water. Leave to brew for 30 minutes. Take 100 ml of filtered broth 30 minutes before each meal.
  • Barberry bark - 1 tbsp. l Pour boiling water and let it brew for 30 minutes. Take 1 tbsp. l before each meal.
  • Immortelle - 3 tbsp. l., wormwood - 1 tbsp. l., chamomile - 2 tbsp. l Mix and pour boiling water, leave to brew for 30 minutes. Use 6 times a day for 100 ml.

Surgical intervention

They come to surgical intervention in especially difficult situations, when tissue necrosis appears in the pancreas, which has the consequences of infection. Typically, operations are performed using laparoscopy.

Before surgery, the patient should not take any food. It is permissible to drink a small amount of water. The patient is given an enema and sedation.

In the postoperative period, the patient starves for the first two days, then he is allowed to take tea, vegetable soups, cereals, steamed omelettes, crackers and cottage cheese.

Pancreatitis Diet

With the disease under discussion, the patient has some restrictions on food. They contribute to the maintenance and treatment of the gastrointestinal tract.

The main recommendations for a diet with pancreatitis are as follows:

  1. In nutrition, the presence of protein should be sufficient.
  2. Products that irritate the mucous surface of the digestive organs should be excluded.
  3. All food must be slaughtered in a blender or finely chopped.
  4. Food for the patient should be steamed.
  5. The food that the patient eats should not be hotter than 65 degrees Celsius.
  6. It is forbidden to use seasonings, a lot of salt, pepper. You can not eat spices and smoked meats.
  7. It is forbidden to eat fried, fatty foods.
  8. High fiber foods are not allowed.
  9. You can’t eat food from fast food restaurants.
  10. The menu is usually fractional power. On the day, at least 5 - 6 meals in small portions.

It is allowed to cook liquid dishes on cereals, vegetables, on pre-cooked broth from dietary meat. In the role of the second, it is allowed to take a little low-fat bird and fish, fried eggs are suitable for a couple. For dessert - jam or honey.

The patient is allowed to drink juices, compotes, decoctions of rosehip berries, tea with low-fat milk. From fermented milk products, it is permissible to consume almost everything, but without sugar and any other additives.

You can eat cereals, pasta, crackers. From vegetables, potatoes, beets, carrots, pumpkin pulp, and zucchini are allowed. And from fruits - sweet apples.

Possible complications and prognosis for recovering

Irrational treatment or its neglect in pancreatitis can cause serious consequences.

For example:

  • diabetes;
  • abscess (suppuration as a result of inflammation);
  • ulcer;
  • cysts in the gland;
  • jaundice.

Exhaustion and chronic intoxication may appear. The most severe form of pancreatitis complication is death.

Of course, people live with chronic pancreatitis if they have a desire. For this, it is necessary to systematically implement the recommendations of doctors, avoid stressful situations, eat healthy, be regularly examined and consult a doctor at the slightest discomfort.

Prevention

To prevent pancreatitis, it is necessary to abandon everything that cannot be included in the concept of healthy lifestyle:

  • completely give up alcohol, smoking;
  • eat rationally and timely treat diseases related to the digestive tract;
  • regularly undergo examinations (donate blood and urine for analysis).

Pancreatitis is an extremely unpleasant disease, however, if you still have it, do not despair. With the right approach to treatment, with the disease you can live and enjoy life. The most important thing is to listen to the recommendations of doctors and adjust your lifestyle.

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