Chronic Pancreatitis

Chronic Pancreatitis – General Information

Chronic Pancreatitis – Symptoms

Chronic Pancreatitis – Treatment

The available treatment for Chronic Pancreatitis is has one main effect: the improvement of the patient’s absorption problems. However, the therapy is also administered to help patients who suffer from alcohol and drug abuse symptoms. In most of the cases, the medical trials help relieve the pain caused by the disease. There are many ways to treat this kind of disorder and can include therapy for alcohol dependency, therapy for pain relief, enzyme therapy for malabsorption or dietary changes. The therapy for alcohol abuse is considered the most important stage in curing Chronic Pancreatitis that has been provoked by the intake of alcoholic products. If the patient is early diagnosed with the disease and he stops consuming alcohol, the pain is much more easily relieved. Once the disease has evolved to a more severe stage and the patient is still drinking alcoholic beverages, he increases his risk of developing other severe complications. This is why there are many cases that involve patients who have not stopped drinking and died from this type of pancreatitis. The pain provoked by Chronic Pancreatitis can last for a long time, unlike the acute form of the disease, in which the pain usually goes away in a few days. There are many typical pain relievers that are prescribed by many doctors, but they may be ineffective and increase the risk of addiction to them.

Nowadays, doctors begin to prescribe a more efficient medicine called potent pancreatic enzyme, which has proved to be effective in most of the cases (it has even cured the disease). This type of enzyme therapy usually acts by increasing the amounts of enzymes inside the bigger part of intestine, called duodenum. By doing this it also decreases the amount of enzymes that are produced by the pancreas. Another effect triggered by this type of therapy is the reduction of the pressure and pain, inside the pancreas. If the pain is too severe to be effectively relieved or controlled, the main treatment option is the surgical approach which consists in removing the affected tissue. There are cases in which another surgical procedure can prove a more viable option: it involves blocking pain signs or killing the nerves which are known to transmit the pain. The enzyme therapy used for the absorption problems employs enzyme supplements including pancrelipase, usually prescribed as Pancrease or Viokase, which have proved to be very effective in treating absorption deficiencies. To improve the weight gain and medical status of the patient, these enzymes tablets replace the missing enzymes and help to improve steatorrhea and to restore the normal digestion. This type of treatment is usually administered before eating or during meals. To achieve an improvement in Chronic Pancreatitis, the doctor can also prescribe the patient a diet schedule that he ought to follow, which includes the fats free diet or smaller meals, to help reduce the disappearance of the digestive enzymes. Patients suffering with Chronic Pancreatitis can also develop diabetes. The treatment consists in keeping a healthy diet or getting regular exercise. There are patients who may need insulin administration, which increase the risk of developing hypoglycemia.