The pancreas is a gland that makes various substances, including hormones and enzymes, that help you digest sugar and use it as fuel. This organ is located in your abdomen, behind your stomach. There are a few types of conditions that can affect your pancreas, such as:
Pancreas problems may lead to:
The pancreas is important for producing insulin, a hormone that helps your cells absorb sugar from the blood. Your cells use this sugar as energy. If your pancreas doesn’t work properly and stops making insulin, you may develop diabetes.
Ongoing pancreas disorders can also make you more prone to infection, prevent you from absorbing necessary nutrients from your food, and damage your lungs and kidneys.
Acute pancreatitis develops when the enzymes it produces are stuck inside the organ. This can irritate your pancreas cells.
Gallstones are a common cause of acute pancreatitis. Your gallbladder, located next to the pancreas, makes a fluid that helps digest fat (bile). When bile hardens into tiny, painful gallstones, it can block the tube that leads out of the pancreas, trapping digestive enzymes inside.
The body can often heal itself after a bout of acute pancreatitis, but if this condition happens multiple times, it can lead to lasting damage and scarring, which may eventually cause chronic pancreatitis. Likewise, untreated chronic pancreatitis can lead to pancreatic cancer.
Your chances of experiencing disorders of the pancreas increase if you:
Because hereditary pancreatitis is passed down from parent to child, your chances of having one of these conditions are higher if your parent also had a disorder that led to pancreas problems. Cystic fibrosis is the most common inherited condition that can lead to pancreas problems.