What is the Pancreas

What is the Pancreas?

The pancreas is an elongated gland of about 8" that is positioned horizontally behind the lower portion of the stomach. The head of the pancreas rests against the wall of the duodenum, a section of the small intestine, and it extends outward toward the spleen. This surrounded location makes access to the pancreas difficult.

What are the major functions of the pancreas? The pancreas does two jobs. It secretes three enzymes that aid digestion of carbohydrates (amylase), proteins (trypsin), and fats (lipase). Scattered throughout the pancreas are tiny clusters of cells, the Islets of Langerhans, which act as an endocrine gland, producing hormones including insulin, glucagon, and somastatin. Essential for metabolizing carbohydrates and regulating blood sugar, or glucose, insulin's main function is to lower blood glucose by stimulating the body's cells to burn glucose for energy. Glucagon has the opposite effect by converting glycogen to glucose in the liver, thus elevating blood sugar. These and other complex metabolic functions are regulated by the pancreatic islets.

Diseases

Diabetes: To most laymen and physicians of the 20th century the pancreas is best known for its association with diabetes. Diabetes is a hormone disorder that can cause problems with the kidneys, legs and feet, eyes, heart, nerves, and blood flow.

There are two types of this disease. Type I is known as insulin-dependent and is a disease that destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce the hormone insulin. Insulin is needed to control blood sugar levels. Type II is the most common form of the disease and its sufferers simply do not produce enough insulin.

Pancreatitis: Pancreatitis is an inflammatory condition of the pancreas with varied causes including congenital abnormalities, hereditary conditions, medications, infections, and trauma. This disease is painful and can be deadly.

Pancreatic Cancer: Pancreatic cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in the United States and it is nearly always fatal. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), it is estimated that nearly 25,000 people may die from this disease this year, with no end in sight.

For more information on this topic check out http://www.columbiasurgery.org/programs/pancreas/pancreatic.html and http://www.unmc.edu/cancercenter/SPORE/Pancreas.htm and http://www.limit.ac.uk/pancreas/index.htm