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The pancreas is a very valuable organ, and it is housed in the upper area of the abdomen, very close to the place where we have the stomach, duodenum and bile duct. It has, essentially, two functions: on the one hand, it participates in the regulation of blood glucose levels. And, on the other hand, it synthesizes various hormones thanks to which we are able to digest food.
Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. It is not something that only happens in adulthood. Children can also get pancreatitis.
Although there may be pancreatitis of various types (acute, subacute, chronic) and can be secondary to multiple causes, the most common is that childhood pancreatitis is acute and 'idiopathic'. This means that it is usually short-lived and no cause can be identified.
The most common symptom of childhood pancreatitis is pain. This is intense, and is located in the upper part of the abdomen. Many children report that it radiates towards their back. In addition, there may be vomiting, general malaise, and fever.
Is there a complementary test to diagnose it? In the blood test we can verify an elevation of two enzymes: amylase and lipase. Inflammation of the pancreas can also be documented through ultrasound. In complicated cases, the imaging test of choice is CT.
For treatment, the fundamental pillar is pain management, sometimes requiring hospitalization of the child. Sometimes the patient must be left on an absolute diet, and intravenous fluid therapy or parenteral nutrition prescribed.
Childhood pancreatitis is much better than in adults. Only a small number of children will have recurrent episodes of pancreatitis. This fact is usually conditioned by the presence of family history (there is a genetic component in them).
You can read more articles similar to Acute pancreatitis in childhood, in the category of Childhood Diseases on site.