The pancreas is a rather complex organ, the state of the whole organism depends on its work. It not only participates in the digestion process and supplies the necessary enzymes, but also produces the insulin needed for the breakdown of glucose. In the event of a malfunction, diseases such as diabetes and pancreatitis develop. These diseases are usually preceded by a heterogeneous pancreas structure. What is it, what is the reason for the occurrence of pathology can be found in specialists.
Pancreatic disease
Almost any disease of this organ leads to a change in its structure:
- Lipomatosis is the wrinkling and wilting of the pancreas caused by the abuse of alcohol, fatty and fried foods. And also a similar disease develops in patients with diabetes mellitus.
- The most common disease is pancreatitis, which occurs in both acute and chronic form. As a result, the pancreatic tissue becomes heterogeneous with blurry edges and not clear edges.
- In the case of inflammation of the head of the gland, it is gradually pressed to the wall of the intestine. A similar disease is called stenosis.
- Malignant and benign neoplasms are often the result of an improper lifestyle. In addition to the heterogeneous structure, cysts filled with fluid form in the pancreas.
In children, diseases of this organ are often associated with deficiency of the formation of protease, lipase, and amylase.
Pancreatic echogenicity
The heterogeneous structure of the pancreas - what is it? This terminology is used for ultrasound examination. Echogenicity of internal organs is an indicator of their health status. Sometimes during the examination, hyperechoic inclusions can be detected, such as replacement of healthy connective tissue or the formation of a sufficiently large amount of calcifications.
Such deviations indicate the presence of diseases such as pancreatic necrosis, fibrous and lipomatous lesions of the pancreas, as well as acute pancreatitis and neoplasms.
Causes of pathology
What is the heterogeneous structure of the pancreas? This is a symptom of pathologies caused by a number of reasons, among which, as a rule, they call an improper lifestyle, poor blood circulation and a failure in metabolic processes. In addition, a similar deviation from the norm is observed in patients with diabetes mellitus and chronic pancreatitis. Changes in the work of the gallbladder can lead to failure. Also, with age, the structure of tissues of internal organs changes in a person, including the heterogeneous structure of the pancreas. What it is has been described above.
Among the most common reasons, scientists put the wrong place on the first place, on the second place - diabetes, and only on the third place is drinking alcohol and smoking. Thus, the abuse of fried, fatty, salty and smoked foods - this is what affects the functioning of the pancreas most negatively.
How to be treated
In addition to drugs, the patient is recommended to use a strict diet. In the absence of any positive changes, the patient will be offered surgery.
How to treat the pancreas at home? Among the drugs, the greatest effect was shown by medicines containing Pancreatin, extracted from the enzymes of the pancreas of domestic animals. The most commonly prescribed are Creon and Pancreatin. They practically do not contain contraindications, and nausea and impaired stool stand out among the side effects.
It is extremely undesirable to take such drugs for too long, since the chances of getting side effects increase significantly. Sometimes, to eliminate them, you have to use a tool such as “Tserukalom” to suppress vomiting.
Nutrition rules
First of all, a patient with a diseased pancreas should review the daily menu. Doctors recommend completely abandoning fat and fried foods. It is recommended to consume animal protein (white poultry and lean fish). And also be sure to include kefir, cottage cheese, aryan or sour in the diet.
Extremely useful will be cereal, fresh vegetables and fruits. Among vegetables, pumpkin, potatoes and beets are in the first place. It is advisable to use them not in raw, but in boiled or baked form. Salads with the addition of vegetable oil or low-fat sour cream can be prepared from these products.
For drinks, it is recommended to use a rosehip decoction made from whole or crushed fruits. Preparing a decoction is quite simple. Three tablespoons of crushed berries fill the floor with a liter of warm water and heat over low heat. Before use, be sure to clean the broth with a piece of gauze, folded in two layers. Take a drink from rose hips two to three times a day in an amount not exceeding 150 grams.
Forbidden food
Among the unwanted foods are all sour berries and fruits, rye bread, sweet desserts with butter cream, ice cream and carbonated drinks. In addition, all citrus fruits should also be excluded from the fruit list. It is highly recommended not to drink coffee and kvass. The use of legumes and millet negatively affects the health of the pancreas. In addition, it is advisable to eat food boiled and without the addition of salt.
It is undesirable to overeat during meals. It is better to eat fractionally, in small portions and, if necessary, drink clean water before meals. Thus, saturation will occur much faster with a much smaller portion. The pancreas should not be overloaded. It should be remembered that even a healthy body is quite difficult to cope with a huge amount of food.
Signs of the disease
How and where does the pancreas hurt? As a rule, almost all diseases of the pancreas are accompanied by pain and nausea. In acute pancreatitis, vomiting often occurs, which is considered a sign of intoxication of the body. And also a person has dehydration and constant thirst. Frequent constipation also suggests that this organ is not all right. You can detect the heterogeneous structure of the pancreas by ultrasound, and in the doctor’s office they can also determine the disease of the pancreas by palpation. With pressure in the area between the ribs, the patient experiences pain.
Pancreas sizes in children
Depending on the age, the size of this organ will also change. For example, in babies up to one month old, the head of the pancreas is within 10-14 mm. Up to 12 months, its size increases from 15 to 19 mm, and already in a five-year-old child the head size will be in the range of 17-20 mm. As for the body of the pancreas, then in infants of one month of age it is in the range of 6-8 mm, up to one year - 8-11 mm and up to 5 years - 10-12.
Home treatment
In addition to the medicines prescribed by your doctor, you can use dietary supplements that heal the organs of the gastrointestinal tract and generally have a beneficial effect on digestion. In case of pain with hyperechoic heterogeneous structure of the pancreas, you can take drugs such as Analgin and Papaverine. It is best to use not tablets, but injection. From spasms use "Tavegil" and "Diphenhydramine". In acute pancreatitis, injections with Paracetamol or Baralgin are given. It is also recommended to use folk remedies.
Traditional medicine recipes
Can the pancreas be treated at home? For example, decoctions of herbs that have anti-inflammatory effects such as St. John's wort and chamomile have proven themselves well. To prepare broths, it is enough to take one tablespoon of crushed, dried raw materials and add it to a glass of boiling water. After the remedy is infused, the broth is filtered and consumed in small sips throughout the day. It is recommended to take a medicinal decoction of 100 or 150 grams two to three times a day. For convenience, the grass is brewed in a thermos. Thus, the broth remains warm throughout the day, and the beneficial components in the composition of the plant completely turn into liquid.
With a moderately heterogeneous structure of the pancreas, it is very useful to use such folk remedies that envelop the mucous membrane and eventually heal it. For example, flax seeds have similar properties. You can use the oil obtained from the seeds of this plant or prepare a medicinal decoction. It is prepared quite simply. One tablespoon of seeds is poured into 0.5 liters of boiling water and insisted overnight. In the morning, a small amount of broth is used before breakfast. Do the same before lunch and dinner. In addition, it is recommended to reduce salt intake and drink as much clean water as possible. Kissel is also prepared from flax or seed powder is added to prepared dishes.
The fruits of this plant have amazing properties - to stop the growth of cancer cells. In addition, the beneficial substances contained in the seeds significantly strengthen the immune system, have choleretic properties and stimulate the stomach.
In addition to flax seeds, it is also useful to chew propolis during the day or use its tincture along with milk. To do this, add a few drops of tincture to a glass of heated milk and drink it in small sips. We must not forget that milk should only be skimmed.