Medical Questions » Gut (Intestines) Questions » Question No. 445
| Question: | My father has been in hospital for weeks with pancreatitis. He seems to be suffering greatly with terrible pain that injections do not ease. Can you explain this disease? |
| Answer: | The pancreas sits in the centre of your abdomen directly behind your belly button, and one of its main tasks is to produce the digestive enzymes that attack your food.
A tiny duct leads from the pancreas to the bile duct and then the small intestine to transport these enzymes to the food.
The pancreas may become infected, damaged by excess alcohol intake, or the duct leading from it may be blocked by a gallstone. In these circumstances, the digestive enzymes may leak out of the pancreas and start dissolving the pancreas itself, your intestine and other abdominal organs—this is pancreatitis.
It is an excruciatingly painful disease that leads to very rapid consultation with a medical practitioner. The treatment involves resuscitating a patient who is usually very ill and shocked, pain relief, then treating the cause of the pancreatitis. This may involve antibiotics, merely prolonged bed rest or occasionally surgery.
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