Acute pancreatitis is a illness where the pancreas rapidly becomes inflamed. Enzymes may enter the bloodstream in an attack causing severe complications.

Individuals who are vulnerable to alcohol injury of the pancreas can develop blockage of the pancreatic duct and often get dilation of the duct and form stones. Cholangitis is an inflammation of the bile ducts where stones from the gallbladder become lodged, obstructing flow of bile from the liver to the intestine.

Cholecystitis is an inflammation of the gallbladder that may be either acute or chronic. Complaints of upper-right abdominal pain can last from minutes to days. Chronic pancreatitis develops slowly and can increasingly worsen over time with the pancreas losing its ability to make enough digestive enzymes and insulin.

Diabetes occurs when sugars build up in the blood due to the pancreas not producing enough insulin or not using it correctly resulting in low energy levels.

Patients with small gallstones may pass them from the gallbladder to the main bile duct blocking off the pancreatic duct causing a severe form of pancreatitis. Gallstones are created in the gallbladder forming bile substances of hard, crystal-like particles. Bile duct stones move out of the gallbladder becoming lodged.

Hereditary pancreatitis is rare and affects fewer than one in one million people. It is a genetic abnormality that can be inherited or occur spontaneously.

IPMN is a cause of pancreatitis where cells that line the pancreatic duct change into premalignant cells that produce mucous and block off the pancreatic duct.

Pancreatic cancer is the 4th most common cause of cancer in U. Important Phone Numbers. Topic Contents Overview How can you care for yourself at home? Where can you learn more? Top of the page. Diet for Chronic Pancreatitis: Care Instructions.

Overview The pancreas is an organ behind the stomach that makes hormones and enzymes to help your body digest food. How can you care for yourself at home?

Do not drink alcohol. It may make your pain worse and cause other problems, like making the swelling of your pancreas worse. Tell your doctor if you need help to quit. Counselling, support groups, and sometimes medicines can help you stay sober. Ask your doctor if you need to take pancreatic enzyme pills to help your body digest fat and protein.

Eat a low-fat diet Try to eat 4 to 6 small meals and snacks each day instead of 3 large meals. Choose lean meats. Cut off all fat you can see. Eat poultry like chicken, duck, and turkey without the skin.

Many types of fish, such as salmon, lake trout, tuna, and herring, provide healthy omega-3 fat. But avoid fish canned in oil, such as sardines in olive oil. Bake, broil, or grill meats, poultry, or fish instead of frying them in butter or fat.

Drink or eat non-fat or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, or other milk products each day. Read the labels on cheeses, and choose a reduced fat option. Try fat-free sour cream, cream cheese, or yogurt. Try fortified soy beverage.

Avoid cream soups and cream sauces on pasta. All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions and to ascertain whether the particular therapy, service, product or treatment described on the website is suitable in their circumstances.

The State of Victoria and the Department of Health shall not bear any liability for reliance by any user on the materials contained on this website.

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The pancreas is located in the abdomen, tucked behind the stomach. It is shaped somewhat like a tadpole - fat at one end and slender at the other - and is around 25 cm in length. The pancreas has dual roles; it is an organ of the digestive system and of the hormonal endocrine system.

Once food has been mulched and partially digested by the stomach, it is pushed into the duodenum first part of the small intestine.

The pancreas adds its own digestive juices and enzymes to the food, via a small duct attached to the duodenum. This process is said to belong to the 'exocrine pancreas'. The pancreas also produces the hormone insulin, which helps to control the amount of sugar in the blood. This is the role of the 'endocrine pancreas'.

The exocrine pancreas The pancreas helps to digest food, particularly protein. Pancreatic juices contain enzymes that only become activated once they reach the duodenum.

This is to prevent the protein-digesting enzyme trypsin from 'eating' the protein-based pancreas or its duct. Other enzymes produced by the pancreas include amylase to break down carbohydrate and lipase to break down fats. The exocrine pancreas also makes sodium bicarbonate, which helps to neutralise the stomach acids in the food.

The endocrine pancreas The pancreas makes the hormone insulin, which helps to control blood sugar levels. Insulin is manufactured by a small clump of pancreatic cells called the 'islets of Langerhans'.