The pancreas is a gland behind your stomach and in front of your spine. It produces juices that help break down food and hormones that help control blood sugar levels. Problems with the pancreas can lead to many health problems. These include
- Pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas: This happens when digestive enzymes start digesting the pancreas itself
- Pancreatic cancer
- Cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder in which thick, sticky mucus can also block tubes in your pancreas
The pancreas also plays a role in diabetes. In type I diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas no longer make insulin because the body's immune system has attacked them. In type II diabetes, the pancreas loses the ability to secrete enough insulin in response to meals.
- Diseases of the Pancreas(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/conditions/pancreatic_diseases.html
- Amylase Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/amylase/test.html
- ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography)(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/ercp/
- Lipase Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/lipase/test.html
- Pancreatic Insufficiency(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/conditions/pancreatic_insuf-2.html
- Trypsin Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/trypsin/test.html
- Trypsinogen Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/trypsinogen/test.html
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Nutrition(National Pancreas Foundation) - http://www.pancreasfoundation.org/cgi/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=faq%2edb&command=viewone&id=5&op=t
- Hydration and Chronic Pancreatitis(National Pancreas Foundation) - http://www.pancreasfoundation.org/cgi/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=learn_pancreatitis%2edb&command=viewone&id=3&op=t
- Pancreatic Diseases: Recipes(National Pancreas Foundation) - http://www.pancreasfoundation.org/live/recipes.shtml
- Hyperinsulinemia: Is It Diabetes?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/hyperinsulinemia/HQ00896/METHOD=print
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JAMA Patient Page: Pancreatitis(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/299/13/1630.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/299/13/1630/DC1/1
- Pancreatic Cysts(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/pancreatic-cysts/DS00731/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Pancreatic Endocrine Tumors(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec09/ch131/ch131l.html
- Pancreatitis(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/pancreatitis/
- Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/zollinger/
- Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/zollinger-ellison-syndrome/DS00461/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
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Pancreatitis(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/pancreatitis/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/pancreatitisspanish/htm/index.htm
- Endoscopic Ultrasound Procedure with Needle Biopsy(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - 3/22/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=422
- Atlas of the Body: The Endocrine System(American Medical Association) - http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZW5TZ46JC&sub_cat=514
- What Is the Pancreas?(Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Pathology) - http://pathology.jhu.edu/pancreas/BasicOverview1.php?area=ba
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Pancreatic Diseases(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Pancreatic+Diseases%22
- Genetics Home Reference: Shwachman-Diamond syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=shwachmandiamondsyndrome
- Hereditary Pancreatitis(National Pancreas Foundation) - http://www.pancreasfoundation.org/cgi/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=learn_genetics%2edb&command=viewone&id=2&op=t
- Article: Diffusion-weighted imaging in the differential diagnosis of cystic lesions of... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18806153&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Planned early discharge-elective surgical readmission pathway for patients with gallstone... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18794429&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: The effect of age on short-term outcomes after pancreatic resection:... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18791366&tool=MedlinePlus
- Pancreatic Diseases -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=pancreatic+diseases[majr]+OR+cholangiopancreatography,endoscopic+retrograde[majr:noexp]+OR+cholangiopancreatography,magnetic+resonance[majr:noexp]+NOT+(pancreatic+neoplasms[mh]+OR+cystic+fibrosis[mh])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- AACE Physician Finder(American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists) - http://www.aace.com/resources/memsearch.php
- American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy: Find a Doctor(American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) - http://www.asge.org/Apps/FindADoctor/search.aspx
- American Gastroenterological Association - http://www.gastro.org/
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/
- National Pancreas Foundation - http://www.pancreasfoundation.org/
- Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome Foundation - http://www.shwachman-diamond.org/
- Cystic Fibrosis - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cysticfibrosis.html
- Pancreas Transplantation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pancreastransplantation.html
- Pancreatic Cancer - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pancreaticcancer.html
- Digestive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/digestivesystem.html
- Endocrine System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/endocrinesystem.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Pancreatic Diseases is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/