Abdominal Pains Resulting From Pancreatic Cysts

Abdominal pains can come from having large pancreatic cysts. They make their presence known by appearing as firm and rounded swellings in your upper abdomen. Cysts may form within your pancreas if you have a condition of cystic fibrosis. Adults are not the only ones who can get cysts. Even children can report of cystic pancreatic lesions.

Small cysts usually do not cause abdominal pains; only the large ones tend to. The pains result when large pancreatic cysts start pressing on nearby tissues. Cysts that are located at the head of the pancreas, where the organ connects to the duodenum, exert pressure on the common bile duct. When this happens, you can develop jaundice with your skin and eyes turning yellow. You may also experience fevers and chills especially when inflammation results.

Your pancreas may be small, but it has many important functions. It is responsible for producing several hormones needed in your digestion and bodily functions, including insulin that helps control your blood sugar. Pancreatic cysts can be benign or malignant. Hence, it is good that you gain an understanding should you have them.

Pancreatic cysts are made up of fluids and are located in the pancreas. They are of two main types: true cysts and false or pseudo-cysts. True cysts are lined with epithelial cells and false or pseudo-cysts are lined with fibrous tissue.

True pancreatic cysts are less common, making up 20% of all cases. They include congenital polycystic disease of the pancreas, among others. A pseudocyst, accounting for the remaining 80% of the cases, is a collection of fluid in the lesser sac. It usually develops due to trauma caused to the pancreas, following acute or chronic pancreatitis (caused by excessive drinking of alcohol), or due to perforation of a posterior gastric ulcer (which is rare).

Pancreatic pseudo-cysts usually do not require treatment. However, if they persist for longer than 6 weeks, you may need to take some treatment actions. At this point, the cysts are large enough to cause abdominal pains, interfering with normal movement of materials through the stomach and duodenum, or they can get infected.

Doctors may advise that you drain them by percutaneous (via special needles under ultrasound guidance), endoscopic or surgical procedures. The type and degree of intervention varies, depending on the prognosis by your doctor. All in all, doctors are prefering to move away from surgery in favor of non-surgical drainage. True pancreatic cysts may still require surgery if the doctor determines them to be cancerous.

To prevent pancreatic cysts from developing, it is important that you consume a healthy diet that promotes digestion and engage in an active lifestyle. Cutting down on alcohol intake can also help you to minimise the risk of getting abdominal pains resulting from large pancreatic cysts.