pancreas
Sign in to saveThe pancreas (plural pancreases, or pancreata) is an organ of the digestive system and endocrine 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, i.e., it has both an endocrine and a digestive exocrine function. Ninety-nine percent of the pancreas is exocrine and 1% is endocrine. As an endocrine gland, it functions mostly to regulate blood sugar levels, secreting the hormones insulin, glucagon, somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide. As a part of the digestive system, it functions as an ex
AI overview
The pancreas is a gland located behind your stomach that plays two important roles in your body: it helps digest food by releasing digestive enzymes, and it regulates your blood sugar levels by producing hormones like insulin. Because of these dual functions, problems with the pancreas can affect both digestion and blood sugar control.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Anatomy.Name
- Pancreas
- Anatomy.Latin
- pancreas
- Anatomy.Greek
- πάγκρεας (pánkreas)
- Anatomy.Image
- Blausen_0699_PancreasAnatomy2.png
- Anatomy.Caption
- Anatomy of the human pancreas
- Anatomy.Precursor
- Pancreatic buds
- Anatomy.System
- Digestive system and endocrine system
- Anatomy.Artery
- Inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery, anterior superior pancreaticoduodenal artery, posterior superior pancreaticoduodenal artery, splenic artery
- Anatomy.Vein
- Pancreaticoduodenal veins, pancreatic veins
- Anatomy.Nerve
- Pancreatic plexus, celiac ganglia, vagus nerve
- Anatomy.Lymph
- Splenic lymph nodes, celiac lymph nodes and superior mesenteric lymph nodes
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
26 sectionsContents
- Structure
- Parts
- Blood supply
- Microanatomy
- Variation
- Gene and protein expression
- Development
- Cellular development
- Function
- Blood glucose regulation
- Digestion
- Additional functions
- Clinical significance
- Inflammation
- Cancer
- Diabetes mellitus
- Type 1 diabetes
- Type 2 diabetes
- Removal
- History
- Other animals
- Cuisine
- Additional images
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
The pancreas (plural pancreases, or pancreata) is an organ of the digestive system and endocrine 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, i.e., it has both an endocrine and a digestive exocrine function. Ninety-nine percent of the pancreas is exocrine and 1% is endocrine. As an endocrine gland, it functions mostly to regulate blood sugar levels, secreting the hormones insulin, glucagon, somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide. As a part of the digestive system, it functions as an exocrine gland secreting pancreatic juice into the duodenum through the pancreatic duct. This juice contains bicarbonate, which neutralizes acid entering the duodenum from the stomach; and digestive enzymes, which break down carbohydrates, proteins and fats in food entering the duodenum from the stomach.
Inflammation of the pancreas is known as pancreatitis; common causes include chronic alcohol use and gallstones. Because of its role in the regulation of blood sugar, the pancreas is also a key organ in diabetes. Pancreatic cancer can arise following chronic pancreatitis or due to other reasons, and it carries a very poor prognosis, as it is often only identified after it has spread to other areas of the body.