2. I. Pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system
of vertebrates.
II. It plays an essential role in converting the food we eat into fuel
for the body's cells.
III. It is about six inches long and is shaped like a flat pear.
IV. The pancreas has two main functions: an exocrine function that
helps in digestion and an endocrine function that regulates blood
sugar.
INTRODUCTION
3. The pancreas is located behind the stomach in the upper left abdomen.
It is surrounded by other organs including the small intestine, liver, and
spleen.
It is spongy, about six to ten inches long, and is shaped like a flat pear or a
fish extended horizontally across the abdomen.
LOCATION
5. The Pancreas is basically divided into three major parts:
1. Head
2. Neck
3. Tail
PARTS OF THE PANCREAS
6.
7. The wide part, called the head of the pancreas, is positioned toward the center
of the abdomen.
The head of the pancreas is located at the juncture where the stomach meets
the first part of the small intestine.
This is where the stomach empties partially digested food into the intestine,
and the pancreas releases digestive enzymes into these contents.
The central section of the pancreas is called the neck or body.
The thin end is called the tail and extends to the left side.
ABOUT THE PARTS
8. The pancreas is both an endocrine and exocrine gland.
The pancreas produce hormones such as insulin , glucagon and somatostatin.
The pancreas secrete pancreatic juice such as trypsinogen , chymotripsinogen ,
elastase, carboxypeptidase, and pancreatic lipase.
The part of the pancreas with endocrine functions are clusters of cells called
Islets of Langerhans.
FUNCTIONS
10. Islets of Langerhans, also called islands of Langerhans, are irregularly shaped
patches of endocrine tissue located within the pancreas.
They are named for the German physician Paul Langerhans, who first
described them in 1869.
The normal human pancreas contains about 1,000,000 islets.
11. There are four types of cells in Islets of Langerhans:
1- Alpha cells
2- Beta cells
3- Delta cells
4-PP cells
12. Alpha cells secrete glucagon which causes increase in glucose levels in the
blood.
Beta cells secrete insulin which causes decrease in glucose levels in the blood.
Delta cells secrete somatostatin that regulates alpha and beta cells.
PP cells secertete pancreatic polypeptide.
13. The pancreas contains exocrine glands that produce enzymes important to
digestion. These enzymes include trypsin and chymotrypsin to digest proteins;
amylase for the digestion of carbohydrates; and lipase to break down fats.
When food enters the stomach, these pancreatic juices are released into a
system of ducts that culminate in the main pancreatic duct. The pancreatic
duct joins the common bile duct to form the ampulla of Vater which is
located at the first portion of the small intestine, called the duodenum. The
common bile duct originates in the liver and the gallbladder and produces
another important digestive juice called bile. The pancreatic juices and bile
that are released into the duodenum, help the body to digest fats,
carbohydrates, and proteins.
EXOCRINE FUNCTION
14. The endocrine component of the pancreas consists of islet cells (islets of
Langerhans) that create and release important hormones directly into the
bloodstream.
Two of the main pancreatic hormones are insulin, which acts to lower blood
sugar, and glucagon, which acts to raise blood sugar. Maintaining proper
blood sugar levels is crucial to the functioning of key organs including the
brain, liver, and kidneys.
ENDOCRINE FUNCTION
15. Malfunctioning in the pancreas may lead to diseases like
1- Diabetes Mellitus
2- Acute Pancreatitis
3- Chronic Pancreatitis
4- Pancreatic enzyme deficiency
5- Pancreatic cancer
DISORDERS RELATED TO
PANCREAS
16. Diabetes mellitus is a disease that prevents the body from properly using the
energy from the food. Diabetes occurs in one of the following situations:
The pancreas is producing little insulin or no insulin at all. This happens due
to loss of function in the beta cells of Islets of Langerhans.
-Or-
The pancreas makes insulin, but the insulin made doesn't work as it should.
This condition is called insulin resistance.
DIABETES MELLITUS
17. Type 1 diabetes occurs because the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas
(beta cells) are damaged.
In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas makes little or no insulin, so sugar can;t get
into the body's cells for use as energy.
People with Type 1 diabetes must use insulin injections to control their blood
glucose.
Type 1 is the most common form of diabetes in people who are under age 30,
but it can occur at any age.
TYPE 1 DIABETES
18. In Type 2 diabetes (adult onset diabetes), the pancreas makes insulin, but it
either doesn't produce enough, or the insulin doesn't work properly.
Nine out of 10 people with diabetes have Type 2. This type occurs most often
in people who are over 40 years old but can occur even in childhood if there
are risk factors present.
Type 2 diabetes may sometimes be controlled with a combination of diet,
weight management and exercise.
However, treatment also may include oral glucose-lowering medications (taken
by mouth) or insulin injections (shots).
TYPE 2 DIABETES
19. Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. Of the many causes of
pancreatitis, the most common are alcohol consumption and gallstones.
About 210,000 cases of pancreatitis occur in the U.S. every year
Pancreatitis may either be acute or chronic.
PANCREATITIS
20. Symptoms of Pancreatitis are:
Nausea and vomiting
Abdominal pain that may radiate to the back
Pain that worsens after eating
Chills and fever
21. Pancreatic cancer happens when uncontrolled cell growth happens in a part
of pancreas.
Tumors develop and these interfere with the way pancreas work.
Due to the location of the pancreas, pancreatic cancer may be difficult to
detect and is often diagnosed in the later stages when its symptoms are visible
at a macro level in the body.
While the exact cause of pancreatic cancer is not known , certain risk factors
are strongly linked to tobacco smoking and obesity.
Also people with hereditary cancer syndrome or specific genetic mutations
have a higher risk of developing the disease.
PANCREATIC CANCER