Pancreatic diabetes is an expression that is not very common, but accurately reflects the essence of the disease. Indeed, in diabetes, the production or absorption of the hormone that is formed in it is disrupted. And what is the cause of such violations? Often, the symptoms of diabetes mellitus appear on the background of chronic pancreatitis, when in the inflamed pancreas healthy tissue is gradually replaced by connective or fatty tissue. Such diabetes is called pancreatic.
How does pancreatic diabetes develop?
Before diabetes mellitus develops, the pancreas can suffer from chronic inflammation for years (up to 10 years). At this time, the patient is worried about periodic exacerbations, alternating with remissions (periods of “calm”). Then there are symptoms characteristic of digestive disorders: bloating, diarrhea, changes in appetite. Disorder of glucose metabolism occurs, which is expressed in episodes of hypoglycemia. They are due to the fact that the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans, as a result of irritation of the inflamed pancreas, periodically emit an excessive amount of insulin in blood. The longer the chronic inflammation lasts, the more beta cells are destroyed. A violation of glucose tolerance is gradually formed, when thin-toothed blood sugar (on an empty stomach) is normal, and a prolonged increase in its level occurs after eating. Then glucose blood becomes elevated and fasting – diabetes mellitus is formed.
The course of diabetes on the background of pancreatitis
When pancreatic diabetes occurs, pancreas already exhausted enough. Therefore, the course of diabetes has its own characteristics:
- frequent symptoms of hypoglycemia;
- vascular damage in pancreatic diabetes is much less common than in the classical development of type 1 and 2 diabetes;
- The initial stage of diabetes responds well to treatment with tablet drugs that lower blood sugar levels.
Treatment of diabetes with pancreatitis
Treatment of diabetes should be carried out simultaneously with the treatment of pancreatitis. For patients with pancreatic diabetes, the observance of low carbohydrate is very important. diets and fat restriction. In addition, prescribed drugs that replace the lack of pancreatic enzymes (pancreatin, mezim). Used drugs that reduce blood sugar levels (hypoglycemic) and stimulate insulin production – manin, siofor. If fatty hepatosis is observed, hepatoprotectors and drugs that improve lipid metabolism are added to the treatment.