What are the functions of the pancreas?

If you want to know what pancreatic functions exist, then read this article.

This material will allow you to get an answer to your question, as well as to find out what symptoms may indicate problems localized in this body, and what pathologies they can cause.

More details about the pancreas

The pancreas is an organ located in the abdominal cavity of a person. The main purpose of this body is the production of special enzymes and hormones involved in the process of digestion and regulating blood sugar levels.

Thus, the function of the body responsible for producing enzymes is called exocrine, and the function through which hormones are produced is called the endocrine function.

The pancreas is located near the back of the stomach, surrounded by other internal organs, such as the liver, kidneys and spleen, and has a pear-shaped structure.

That is why it is impossible to diagnose any disturbance in the work of this body, being guided only by the place of localization of pain.

The average size of the pancreas: seventeen to twenty centimeters. As a rule, it increases only in the event that there is any violation in its work.

Pancreas structure:

• head( broad part of the organ, located closer to the center of the abdominal region);
• body( middle part of the organ);
• tail( the thinnest part, placed to the left of the previous two).

It should be noted that various pathologies that cause pancreatic insufficiency can produce both specific and nonspecific symptoms.

More details with their list can be found in the following list.

Symptoms of pancreatic pathologies:

• bitterness in the mouth;
• painful sensations, localized at the top of the abdominal region, along its center;
• heaviness in the abdomen, flatulence;
• refusal to eat;
• nausea and vomiting, not bringing relief;
• apathy, persistent drowsiness, fast fatigue;
• diarrhea or its extreme form is diarrhea.

These symptoms can be felt constantly, and at certain times of the day, for example, in the morning or every time after eating( especially fatty, fried or cooked with spices).

To restore the work of the body in case of problems in its functioning, it is possible with the help of special pancreatic preparations saturated with enzymes, or those containing certain hormones.

What functions does the body have?

As mentioned above, there are two functions of the pancreas. They are called endocrine and exocrine, and each of them is responsible for certain processes occurring in the human body.

The exocrine function of this organ is realized due to the fact that the mucous membranes lining it from the inside contain a large number of glands that produce a special secret.

Enzyme juices produced by the body after ingestion of food into the human body penetrate into the small intestine, then bypass it and appear in the duodenum.

Enzymes produced by the pancreas are called "enzymes".

Upon entering the digestive tract, they enter into chemical reactions with food, dividing it into potentially useful components, and stimulating their cleavage, allowing them to extract substances necessary for the body from them.

Video:

Their deficiency can significantly affect the health of a person and lead to a complete breakdown of his digestive system.

Restore their balance either by observing the right diet, or by taking specialized medications that neutralize the symptoms of the pathology and normalize the content of these substances in the body.

In addition to carbohydrate degrading amylase and lipase, which allows to process fats, the pancreatic enzyme juice contains a special component - sodium bicarbonate, which softens the acidity of gastric juice.

The endocrine function of the pancreas allows it to produce hormones. The main hormone that is produced by this body is insulin.

In addition, the pancreas produces the following hormones:

• insulin;
• glucagon;
• c-peptide;
• somatostatin;
• gastrin;
• tiroliberin.

The wrong structure of the pancreas or any disturbance related to the functioning of the endocrine part of this human body can affect the production of insulin - one of the "main" hormones of this area.

Certainly, other hormones are also important, but it is from the lack of insulin that the sugar present in the blood of a person can rise to a critical level.

In the presence of such problems, humoral regulation in the body is disturbed. The pathology, characterized by such a course, is called diabetes mellitus.

Restoration of the amount of insulin in the blood of a person suffering from this disease is carried out by the method of constant intake of medications or the introduction of intravenous injections.

Pancreatic hormones are important, as are other hormones produced in other internal organs of man.

Restoration of their imbalance should be carried out without fail to reduce the burden on the brain, liver and kidneys.

Functional disorders of

There are several major pathologies that can affect the pancreas. To give their full list does not make sense, therefore in this clause of the article we will only talk about those that are found most often.

To mitigate the symptoms of pathology and restore the imbalance of enzymes or hormones in the body, it is worth finding out which of the factors caused the problem.

The most common disease that is characteristic of the pancreas is pancreatitis, an inflammatory process that occurs as a result of a person's wrong lifestyle or due to a serious bacterial infection.

The pancreas performs the function of producing enzymes that, in pancreatitis, do not leave its borders and begin to exert a destructive effect on the body itself.

The most obvious symptoms of this pathology are: severe pain in the site of the organ, rapid temperature increase, nausea, vomiting and other signs of body intoxication.

By the way, this disease can have both acute and chronic course. As a rule, the symptoms of both types of pancreatitis are similar, but they are marked by their acuity.

Another pathology that can develop in the human body in the pancreas is cancer.

As is known, the whole spectrum of the causes of the appearance of such a disease is not fully worked out by doctors, but it is for certain known that people at the age of sixty years are at risk of this disease, as well as those who abuse alcohol and have a long history of smoking.

Malfunction of the pancreas, which affects the humoral function of the body, can be in close connection with a disease such as diabetes mellitus.

This pathology is characterized by the fact that, in its presence, the body ceases to absorb glucose, accumulating it in the blood.

Video:

In case of inadequate treatment or if it is completely absent, the human body suffering from diabetes mellitus begins to disintegrate, against which there is a large number of concomitant pathologies that significantly reduce the quality of life.

Direct pancreatic diseases have a major impact on the health of this organ and, as a result, provoke more global changes in the human body.

That's why they must be stopped by taking specialized medications prescribed by doctors.

In addition, in order to maintain the health of this body( or reduce the burden on it already in the presence of the above pathologies), it is necessary to observe the principles of proper nutrition, as well as to abandon bad habits.

Restoring the functions of this organ is a difficult process that does not always give a 100% result, but even small positive changes in its functioning are a good achievement, especially for people who have experienced all the symptoms of a pancreatic disorder.

After reading this article, you learned about what functions the pancreas performs in the human body, as well as about what structure this body has.

If you want to save your health and protect yourself from possible problems with this body, then follow the recommendations that this article contains, and if you have any symptoms that may indicate potential problems, contact your doctor immediately.

Video: