How does cf affect the pancreas

One way to simplify this is to think of the pancreas as two separate organs: one is a digestive organ that makes pancreatic enzymes for the intestines, the other is a hormone organ that makes insulin for the body.

About 90 percent of people with CF have sticky mucus that blocks ducts in the pancreas and prevents enzymes from reaching the small intestine to digest food. Undigested food in the intestines can cause pain, cramping, gas and either loose, greasy, floating stools or constipation and blockages. Everyone with CF including people who don't need enzyme supplements has a pancreas that does not make enough bicarbonate to neutralize stomach acid.

This can also contribute to pain, cramping, gas and constipation. Bloating and excessive gas also can be caused by small bowel overgrowth, gastric paresis and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Read the Foundation's care guidelines on pancreatic enzyme replacement.

Among its many functions, the liver makes a fluid called bile that helps the body absorb fat. Bile travels through small tubes or ducts in the liver and is stored in the gallbladder, which empties the bile into the small intestine.

In some people with CF, bile gets thick and flows very slowly. It can even get so thick that it forms stones in the gallbladder, which sometimes need to be removed. You can still have normal digestion if your gallbladder has been removed. As the mixture of food, pancreatic fluid, bile and pancreatic enzymes moves along the small intestine, the important nutrients make their way into the body by absorption through special cells in the walls of the small intestine.

Below the small intestine comes the large intestine. A few nutrients are taken in by the large intestine, but its more important function is to keep the balance of fluid just right in the mass of what remains of the digested food.

The very end of the large intestine is called the rectum. This is where the mass of fully digested food and bacteria leaves your body in the form of stool, or bowel movement. As you probably know by now, your care team will usually ask you about your bowel movements. Skip to main content. The healthy pancreas: Makes the body's natural antacid, called bicarbonate, to mix with food coming from the stomach into the intestines. Makes special chemicals called pancreatic enzymes to digest food as it moves from the stomach into the intestines.

The pancreas is an organ that puts out secretes certain substances. They help with digestion and control the body's blood sugar levels. The abnormality in CFTR makes the pancreas secretions become thick. The thickened secretions can block the ducts in the pancreas. This blockage causes a drop in the amount of digestive enzymes the pancreas puts out. The problems with the pancreas can get very severe.

Some of the hormone cells in the pancreas can be destroyed. This may lead to glucose intolerance and type 1 diabetes. The lack of pancreatic enzymes means your digestive tract has to pass partially undigested food. Fats and proteins are especially hard for people with EPI to digest.

Even if you eat a normal amount of food, cystic fibrosis can make it difficult to maintain a healthy weight. A healthy lifestyle and balanced diet can help you manage your EPI. This means limiting alcohol intake, avoiding smoking, and eating a nutritious diet with plenty of vegetables and whole grains.

Most people with cystic fibrosis can eat a standard diet where 35 to 45 percent of calories come from fat. You should also take enzyme replacements with all of your meals and snacks to improve digestion.

Supplement use may help make up for vitamins that EPI prevents your body from absorbing. Doing so will make your condition more manageable and can lower your chances of further damage to your pancreas. In the past, people with cystic fibrosis had very short life expectancies. Today, 80 percent of people with cystic fibrosis reach adulthood. This is because of big advancements in treatment and symptom management. Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency is a rare and relatively unknown condition that affects the pancreas and its enzymes.

Your doctor will order diagnostic tests, such as a fecal fat test and a blood test, to diagnose exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.