As a rule, the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis, the symptoms of which will be described below, is made after the patient undergoes an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity, where there will be some compaction of the pancreatic tissue. This is one of the signs of the inflammatory process. However, only an ultrasound examination of the pancreas is not enough in order to diagnose this disease.
Alas, chronic pancreatitis, the symptoms of which many doctors consider typical, is not so simple. He should not be obligatory present for persons who have crossed a certain age limit. Correct diagnosis and treatment is complicated by the fact that the reasons (except, perhaps, alcoholism) for the appearance of this ailment have not yet been clarified. In addition, chronic pancreatitis is cunning and can be asymptomatic for a long time. But in medicine, there has already been a tendency to consider the disease an isolated type of pathology of the digestive system. And here is a complex of symptoms she has.
Subjective symptoms of chronic pancreatitis
Subjective symptoms are nothing more than the patient’s complaints that he is worried, which the doctor must take into account when making a diagnosis. Most often, patients may complain of such digestive disorders as: constipation or diarrhea, which are chronic in nature, pain in the upper abdomen or in the left hypochondrium, bloating. This is what bothers almost all patients. Further options are possible. In some, the pain begins immediately after eating (especially oily), in others, the ailments are not related to meals at all and can occur at different times. Often patients suffer weight loss, loss of strength, decreased appetite, periodically present bitterness in the mouth.
Chronic pancreatitis: objective symptoms
The doctor, in the first place, should prescribe a fecal analysis to a patient with such complaints . This is an important step in the diagnosis of this disease, since it is the nature of the excrement that can reflect the quality of the digestive process. So, patients with chronic pancreatitis have a liquid or porridge-like feces, usually in large quantities. The lack of enzymes that should break down fats explains the presence of undigested food fragments in the patient's feces (for example, meat fibers). Thus, an undeniable symptom of chronic pancreatitis is an enzyme deficiency of the pancreas.
In addition, the doctor (and the patient himself) can note the patient’s dry skin, “sticking” in the corners of the lips, brittle hair. And the reason for this is hypovitaminosis and anemia (iron deficiency), which very often accompany chronic pancreatitis.
Another symptom of the disease is the patient’s painful stomach above the umbilical fossa, in the left hypochondrium. And already an ultrasound of the pancreas, a blood test for its enzymes and glucose will help clarify the diagnosis.
How to treat chronic pancreatitis
The treatment of diagnosed chronic pancreatitis has 5 goals:
1. Dietary adjustment. As soon as the period of exacerbation (in the very first days) of the disease begins, chronic pancreatitis, the symptoms of which are discussed above, the patient is recommended to refuse food altogether and use only mineral water with alkali (for example, borjomi). After 2-3 days, cereals, steamed dishes, lean meat and lean fish in boiled form are gradually introduced into the patient’s diet. During exacerbation, raw fruits and vegetables and milk should be discarded. And in the period of remission in order to prevent exacerbation, you should abandon fatty, sour, spicy, very salty and alcohol.
2. The elimination of pain. This is achieved by prescribing antispasmodics and analgesics to the patient: papaverine, drotaverinum (no-shp), analgin, baralgin, diclofenac, etc.
3. Establishment of the digestive process and compensation for the lack of pancreatic enzymes. For this, the doctor prescribes special enzyme preparations for the patient (Creon, Mezim, Pancreatin) and determines the correct dosage. Since this stage is fundamentally important in the treatment of chronic pancreatitis, the patient must clearly comply with all the doctor's recommendations regarding the developed medication regimen. As a rule, the course of treatment with enzyme preparations lasts two to three months, after which the dosage is reduced by half and treatment is continued for another one to two months.
4. Stopping the process of inflammation and tissue regeneration of the pancreas. To do this, use drugs that reduce the acidity of gastric juice. These are ranitidine, an H2 receptor blocker, and omeprazole (or lansoprazole), proton pump blockers.
A person with chronic pancreatitis will have to come to terms with his illness and adhere to the above diet all the time, because the treatment of the disease lasts a very long time. Any gastronomic relief, as well as the refusal of the enzyme preparations prescribed by the doctor, can turn into a new exacerbation.