Your pancreas is a thin, 15 cm long organ
that lies behind your stomach and under your liver. It is a vital organ with two crucial roles – helping your body to digest food and making hormones that control your blood sugar levels.
What does my pancreas do?
Most of the cells in your pancreas make and release digestive enzymes into your duodenum, which is the start of your small intestine. In the duodenum, the digestive enzymes break down partly digested food from the stomach.
A very small part of your pancreas makes hormones that help control your blood sugar levels. This part has alpha cells (which make glucagon) and beta cells (which make insulin). Glucagon and insulin work together to keep your blood glucose at the right level.
Common pancreatic disorders
Common diseases that can affect the pancreas include:
- pancreatitis – inflammation of the pancreas, which can be caused by gall bladder disease and alcoholism
- diabetes – destruction or loss of beta cells can mean the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin for blood sugar control
- cystic fibrosis – is associated with sticky mucus, and this can prevent digestive enzymes being released into the duodenum
- pancreatic cancer – cancer of the pancreas
Depending on the pancreatic disease, symptoms can include:
- abdominal pain and tenderness
- nausea
- loss of appetite
- jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes)
- foul-smelling poo
- fever
- weight loss
To diagnose pancreatic diseases, your doctor may arrange for stool tests, blood tests, ERCP (endoscopic retrogade cholangiopancreatography, a procedure to examine the pancreatic and bile ducts using a flexible telescope and dye), ultrasound or CT scans.
How can I look after my pancreas?
Diet and lifestyle are important for maintaining a healthy pancreas, for example:
- drinking little or no alcohol can reduce your risk of pancreatitis and diabetes
- if you smoke, quitting can reduce your risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Smokers are two to three times more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than non-smokers