Chronic pancreatitis

What Is Chronic pancreatitis?

The inflammation of the pancreas that doesn’t improve or heal is called chronic pancreatitis. It gets worsened with time, thus leading to permanent damage to the pancreas. It eventually impairs a patient's ability to make pancreatic hormones and digest food.

This is often incurable and can also cause life-threatening diseases like liver failure and diabetes. 

What Are The Symptoms Of Chronic pancreatitis?

The main symptoms of chronic pancreatitis are:

• Upper abdominal pain, which later on may spread to the back (most of the people experience it, though some people may not have pain). It worsens with eating and can become constant.
• Nausea, diarrhea
• Vomiting, weight loss
• Pale or clay-colored stools, oily or fatty stools
• Frequent loss of weight, despite normal appetite and eating habits. The weight loss is caused due to non-digestion of the food.  The nutrients are not absorbed normally, thus leading to malnutrition.

What Are The Causes Of Chronic pancreatitis?

• Heavy alcohol use
• Any autoimmune disease (the body’s immune system attacking its own body)
• Genetic mutations caused by cystic fibrosis
• Blocked common bile duct or pancreatic duct
• Family history of pancreatitis
• Gallstones
• High calcium levels in blood, high cholesterol, hyperthyroidism

Apart from above, there can be many other unidentified causes also.

What Are The Things One Should Do To Manage Chronic pancreatitis?

• Do yoga and meditation regularly.
• Adopt healthy diet and lifestyle in order to prevent chronic pancreatitis.
• Eat small portions of meals, which are low in fats.
• Drink lots of water
• Identify the foods that cause pain and avoid them.

What Are The Things One Should Avoid To Manage Chronic pancreatitis?

• Avoid tobacco, alcohol, or caffeine products.
• Don’t ignore the symptoms. Seek medical help if you have any of the symptoms appearing constantly.
• Don’t eat too much in one go as it may slow the digestion and increase the pain.

What Are The Best Foods For Chronic pancreatitis?

• Take whole grain foods, cereals like brown rice, millet, and buckwheat etc. as they are easy to digest and provide full nutrition.
• Fruits like watermelon, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, black plums, mangoes, red grapes, apples, and pomegranate are loaded with nutritional benefits and help in maintaining glycemic levels in the body.
• Broccoli, beans, lettuce, kale, spinach, carrots and sweet potatoes are recommended to maintain the health of the pancreas.

What Are The Worst Foods For Chronic pancreatitis?

• Avoid fried foods, pizzas etc.
• Avoid red meats, organ meats, butter, mayonnaise etc. as they are difficult to digest and put pressure on the digestive system.
• Avoid artificial sweeteners, pastries, sweets and beverages with added sugar.
• Avoid full-fat dairy products and shift to low-fat products.

What Are The Medicines For Chronic pancreatitis?

What Are The Tips To Manage Chronic pancreatitis?