On What Side Is Your Pancreas Located – Why is it easy to remember the location and purpose of some organs and more difficult for others? Maybe it’s because you can see a person breathing, or you can hear someone’s heartbeat. The pancreas can work silently in the body, but it is in fact a very important organ and unfortunately, we tend to listen only when something goes wrong.

Only half of the patients had heard of pancreatic cancer before diagnosis; so knowing where the pancreas is, what it does, and what could happen when there is something wrong, you can help someone receive the early diagnosis they need in time for a surgery that can save life.

On What Side Is Your Pancreas Located

It is an organ about 6 centimeters long and the shape of a pear that is on its side. The widest end of the pancreas is called the head, the middle section is called the body, and the narrow end is called the tail.

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A tube called the pancreatic duct connects the pancreas to the first part of the small intestine, known as the pancreas.

To the small intestine. The bile duct can be blocked when a pancreatic tumor invades it. This causes jaundice (yellowing of the eyes, skin and dark urine), one of the six key symptoms of pancreatic cancer.

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Technical storage or access is necessary to create user profiles to send advertisements, or to track the user on one website or on several websites for similar marketing purposes. It is located behind your stomach, under the liver, and near the small intestine. The pancreas plays a vital role in keeping you healthy by helping you digest your food and maintain a healthy blood sugar (glucose) level. Learn more about your pancreas and the conditions that can affect it.

Your pancreas produces enzymes that help you digest your food. These digestive enzymes travel from the pancreas and flow into the small intestine, particularly the duodenum, via the pancreatic duct. This is the same area where bile from the liver enters the digestive system. Both help break down the fats in the food and drink you consume.

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The pancreas produces several hormones that influence appetite and metabolism. Chief among them are insulin and glucagon which work together to help control blood sugar (glucose) levels. When you consume sugar, the pancreas releases insulin to lower your blood sugar levels. Glucagon is released to raise blood sugar levels when they drop too low. Together these two hormones work to maintain a safe blood sugar level, no matter what you consume. When your body can no longer regulate blood sugar levels, diabetes can occur. There are three types of diabetes.

Overtime, untreated blood sugar levels from type 1 or 2 diabetes can damage organs and tissues and cause other health problems. It is important to manage your diabetes with diet, exercise, medication and insulin therapy according to your treatment plan. Researchers are also working on pancreas transplants.

In addition to diabetes, your pancreas can be affected by other conditions or diseases such as pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatitis occurs when the pancreas is inflamed. It can be acute, meaning it comes on suddenly, or chronic, meaning it doesn’t go away and gets worse over time. Acute pancreatitis is most commonly caused by gallstones or excessive alcohol consumption. Severe cases can be life threatening. Chronic pancreatitis can run in families, but it can also be caused by blockages in the duct where pancreatic enzymes leave the pancreas. It can also be triggered by very high triglyceride levels, or by an autoimmune response – when your body starts attacking the cells in the pancreas. People with chronic pancreatitis are advised to stop consuming alcohol to reduce the severity and slow down the progress of the disease.

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Pancreatic cancer is not common. It makes up about 3% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States, affecting about 57,000 people in the United States each year. Because there are no symptoms in its early stages, pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed in advanced stages, when it is much more difficult to treat. Even if detected early, the 5-year survival rate, the number of people who survive five years after diagnosis, is only 34%.

The signs and symptoms of diabetes are related to constantly high blood sugar levels. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes include:

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes are similar, but may also include a tingling or pain in your feet or hands.

Chronic pancreatitis can cause the same abdominal pain, as well as involuntary weight loss, and smelly and greasy bowel movements.

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Not all conditions related to the pancreas are preventable, such as type 1 diabetes. However, you can minimize your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer by: maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet , reducing sugar and fat, and avoiding drinking alcohol in excess. Maintaining a healthy weight can also help keep type 2 diabetes at bay.

Marijke Vroomen Durning, RN, has been writing health information for the past 20 years. She has extensive experience in writing about health issues such as sepsis, cancer, mental health issues and women’s health. He is also the author of the book Just the Right Dose: Your Smart Guide to Prescription Medications and How to Take Them Safely.

At , our Editorial Team works hard to develop comprehensive, objective and meaningful health information to help people choose the right doctor, the right hospital and the right care. Our writers include doctors, pharmacists and registered nurses with first-hand clinical experience. All conditions, treatment and wellness content are medically reviewed by at least one medical professional ensuring the most accurate information possible. Learn more about our editorial process.

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By submitting this form, you agree to the terms and conditions of the User Agreement and Privacy Policy and you can opt out at any time. The pancreas is an organ of the digestive system and the docrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a gland. The pancreas is a mixed or heterocrine gland, that is, it has a docrine and exocrine digestive function.

As a docrine gland, it functions mainly to regulate blood sugar levels by secreting the hormones insulin, glucagon, somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide. As part of the digestive system, it functions as an exocrine gland that secretes pancreatic juice into the duodenum through the pancreatic duct. This juice contains bicarbonate, which neutralizes the acid tering the duodum from the stomach; and digestive enzymes, which break down the carbohydrates, proteins and fats in food that remove the duodum from the stomach.

Inflammation of the pancreas is known as pancreatitis, with common causes including chronic alcohol use and gallstones. Because of its role in blood sugar regulation, the pancreas is also a key organ in diabetes mellitus. Pancreatic cancer can occur as a result of chronic pancreatitis or for other reasons, and carries a very poor prognosis, since it is often identified only after it has spread to other areas of the body.

The word pancreas comes from the Greek πᾶν (pân, “all”) and κρεας (kréas, “meat”). The function of the pancreas in diabetes has been known since at least 1889, with its role in the production of insulin identified in 1921.

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The pancreas (shown here in pink) lies behind the stomach, with the body near the curvature of the duodenum, and the tail extends to touch the spleen.

The pancreas is an organ that in humans is located in the abdomen, extending from behind the stomach to the upper left abdomen near the spleen. In adults, it is about 12–15 cm (4.7–5.9 in) long, lobed and salmon-colored in appearance.

Anatomically, the pancreas is divided into head, neck, body and tail. The pancreas extends from the inner curvature of the duodenum, where the head surrounds the duodenum