Open AccessMedical management of pain in chronic pancreatitis
Author(s) -
Vishal Sharma
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
tropical gastroenterology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2320-5792
pISSN - 0250-636X
DOI - 10.7869/tg.218
Subject(s) - medicine , pancreatitis , abdominal pain , etiology , steatorrhea , endocrine system , diabetes mellitus , pancreatitis, chronic , pancreatic cancer , intensive care medicine , gastroenterology , surgery , cancer , hormone , endocrinology
Chronic pancreatitis is a common disorder caused by various etiological factors. It usually manifests with abdominal pain and exocrine (steatorrhea, malnutrition) or endocrine insufficiency (diabetes mellitus). Abdominal pain is the dominant symptom in these patients. Medical, endoscopic and surgical modalities are available for therapy. This review focuses on the pharmacological approaches to manage pancreatic pain. Before embarking on medical management of pain it is prudent to exclude complications like pancreatic cancer, pseudocysts, inflammatory mass, biliary or duodenal obstruction which may contribute to abdominal pain. Pharmacological measures for pain relief include central analgesics, enzyme supplements and antioxidants. Other measures include endoscopic and surgical therapy which are not discussed here. Appropriate management of exocrine and endocrine insufficiency and successful control of diabetes are also important in the management of chronic pancreatitis.