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What is the pancreas and what is its function?

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What is the pancreas and
what is its function?

The pancreas

Dot.gif (172 bytes) is an organ, about six inches long, centrally located deep within the upper abdomen;

Dot.gif (172 bytes) is surrounded by the stomach, small intestine, liver, and spleen;

Dot.gif (172 bytes) is shaped something like a thin pear, wide at one end and narrow at the other end; has three sections. The wider right end is called the head, the midsection is the body, and the narrow left end is the tail

Image1.gif (11456 bytes)

Figure 1. Normal upper abdominal anatomy

The pancreas has two functions. One is to make enzymes that help digest fats and proteins. The pancreas releases these enzymes into the small intestine as food enters the stomach. If the release of these enzymes is blocked for any reason, the body cannot absorb food completely, thus diarrhea and weight loss may result.

The other function of the pancreas is to produce insulin and a variety of other hormones. These hormones are produced by cells called the Islets of Langerhaus, also called "islet cells".

Insulin controls the body’s blood sugar (glucose). Islet cells (one of three types of cells in the pancreas) produce insulin. The pancreas contains many more islet cells than the body needs to maintain normal blood sugar. In most patients, blood sugar can remain normal even if half of the pancreas is removed by surgery. However, some people do develop high blood sugar after surgery and may need medication to control this condition.

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