This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Spanish PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related article  • Similar articles in JAMA  Topic Collections  • JAMA Patient Page  • Liver/ Biliary Tract/ Pancreatic Diseases  • Alert me on articles by topic

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

The pancreas, an organ located behind the stomach in the upper abdomen, produces enzymes and hormones. The enzymes are discharged through the pancreatic duct into the intestine, where they help digest food that has passed through the stomach. The hormones produced by the pancreas, including insulin and glucagon, are released into the blood and help regulate blood sugar levels. Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. Pancreatitis is a severe illness with several forms. The June 16, 2004, issue of JAMA includes an article about pancreatitis.

RISK FACTORS FOR PANCREATITIS

• Alcohol abuse
  
• Gallstones
  
• Abdominal trauma
  
• Major surgery
  
• Inherited diseases affecting the pancreas, including cystic fibrosis
  
• High blood levels of calcium (usually due to other medical problems)
  
• High blood levels of triglycerides (a particular type of fat in the blood)
  

Janet M. Torpy, MD, Writer; Cassio Lynm, MA, Illustrator; Richard M. Glass, MD, Editor

RELATED ARTICLE

Severe Acute Pancreatitis
Vege Santhi Swaroop, Suresh T. Chari, and Jonathan E. Clain
JAMA. 2004;291(23):2865-2868.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT