Hello! I have been a doctor for 21 years. My name is Georgy Olegovich Sapego. In this article I will talk about the lack of pancreatic enzymes.
The pancreas secretes about 1.5 liters of digestive juice every day. Normally, it is transparent, colorless and alkaline. Pancreatic juice digests fats, starch and proteins.
When acid-soaked food enters the duodenum from the stomach, the pancreatic juice neutralizes the acid with its alkali.
If the pancreas produces few enzymes, then food will not be digested. Diarrhea, weight loss and all that will begin.
Chronic pancreatitis
We have already discussed this in a separate article about chronic pancreatitis. The pancreas in pancreatitis gradually burns out and cannot cope with the production of enzymes.
Cystic fibrosis
It is a congenital disorder associated with mutations in certain genes. It is accompanied by impaired transport of chloride and sodium across cell membranes.
If you remember the article about chloride, then there we discussed its effect on the secretion of liquid mucus. If little chloride is released, then the mucus will be thick. It will become so thick that it clogs the ducts of the pancreas, and the enzymes cannot be released into the juice.
Surgical operations
If something was cut near the pancreas, they could cut the nerves that control the secretion of hormones, or they could cut out the places in the gastrointestinal tract that secrete hormones. Without regulatory hormones, enzymes are released incorrectly or at the wrong time.
There are many other reasons why enzymes cannot be secreted into the duodenum.
As it will be
If the enzymes are still secreted, then there may only be abdominal discomfort and slight bloating.
For fatty diarrhea to appear, you need to remove 90% of the enzymes. In this case, a person loses weight, fat-soluble vitamins will be poorly absorbed, night blindness or osteoporosis may appear.
What to do
To fix all this, you need to eat an extra portion of enzymes and something else that your doctor prescribes. If you suspect that your food has ceased to be digested normally, then do not self-medicate, but consult a doctor. Everything is complicated there.
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Chronic pancreatitis
How much chlorine do we need to eat per day, and why do we need it
