Chronic Pancreatitis: The Hidden Cause of Long-Term Abdominal Pain in High-Risk Patients

Abdominal pain is not necessarily stomach pain, it should be noted that it may be caused by other diseases. Lin Xianghong, a doctor at Hexin Minquan Internal Medicine Clinic, said that a 50-year-old man with diabetes came to see a doctor because of long-term upper abdominal pain. Later, no tumor was found after gastroscopy and colonoscopy. Only then did I find out the reason. Not only is the entire pancreas shrunk, but it is also blocked by stones, large and small, which is a typical manifestation of chronic pancreatitis. The doctor said that chronic pancreatitis is a high-risk group of pancreatic cancer, and it is difficult to detect it in the early stage. If you have symptoms or risk factors such as weight loss, chronic abdominal pain, and diabetes, you must undergo regular screening.

Physician Lin Xianghong posted on his Facebook page that the 50-year-old man often smoked and drank alcohol because of his work when he was young. In recent years, he began to lose weight and suffer from diabetes. After that, his diabetes progressed more and more seriously, and he even started to take insulin recently, and he often had symptoms of upper abdominal pain and even back pain. However, when he went to the outpatient clinic before, he was treated as gastroenteritis, but none of them worked, and his weight continued to drop, so he came to seek help.

Lin Xianghong said that after gastroscopy and colonoscopy, no special tumor was found. It was not until the ultrasound of the pancreatic endoscope that the problem was discovered. Dr. Lin said that the entire pancreas of the patient had shrunk, which also explained the cause of diabetes, inability to absorb nutrients, and weight loss. In addition, the pancreas was blocked by large and small stones, resulting in the inability to drain pancreatic juice. Inflammation and pain are typical manifestations of chronic pancreatitis.

For follow-up treatment, Lin Xianghong said that he would first give pancreatic enzyme supplements, and use painkillers to control the pain, and tell the other party to quit smoking and alcohol, and eat a high-fiber, low-oil diet. Since chronic pancreatitis is a high-risk group of pancreatic cancer, he also reminded that regular pancreatic cancer screening is necessary, and the referral is expected to place an endoscopic drainage tube to clear the obstruction caused by pancreatic stones.

Lin Xianghong emphasized that alcoholism is the biggest culprit of chronic pancreatitis. Alcohol will release toxic substances in the body, which will damage the pancreas. Other possible reasons include hyperlipidemia, gene variation, autoimmune diseases, malnutrition, drugs, etc. He said that chronic pancreatitis is difficult to detect in the early stage, and most of them are treated as gastroenteritis. In the late stage, pancreas shrinkage and loss of function often cause weight loss, chronic abdominal pain, diabetes, etc. If you have the above related symptoms and risk factors, Further examination of the pancreas is recommended.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, pancreatic cancer ranks 7th among the top 10 deadly cancers in 110 years, and the reason why it is called the “king of cancer” is because its location is hidden and the early symptoms are not obvious, so it feels pain It may be in the advanced stage; coupled with the rapid development of the disease, the number of occurrences is almost equal to the number of deaths, and the 5-year survival rate is less than 5%, which makes people look pale.

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