{"id":1434519,"date":"2022-04-13T08:00:34","date_gmt":"2022-04-13T12:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1434519"},"modified":"2022-04-13T08:00:54","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T12:00:54","slug":"how-to-help-your-doctor-determine-if-you-have-exocrine-pancreatic-insufficiency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-to-help-your-doctor-determine-if-you-have-exocrine-pancreatic-insufficiency\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Help Your Doctor Determine If You Have Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-to-help-your-doctor-determine-if-you-have-exocrine-pancreatic-insufficiency%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1434519&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<h2><strong>Conditions That Cause EPI-Like Symptoms<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/hs\/exocrine-pancreatic-insufficiency\/doctor-epi-symptoms\/\">EPI\u2019s symptoms<\/a> mirror those of many other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/digestive-health\/tips-for-better-digestive-health\/\">digestive health<\/a> problems, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Irritable bowel syndrome:<\/strong> IBS is marked by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/abdominal-pain\/guide\/\" data-gd-wrapped=\"\">abdominal pain<\/a>, bloating, bouts of diarrhea or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/constipation\/guide\/\">constipation<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/digestive-health\/treatment-for-excessive-gas\/\" data-gd-wrapped=\"\">flatulence<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/irritable-bowel-syndrome\/\">People with IBS<\/a> will see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/mucus\/\" data-gd-wrapped=\"\">mucus<\/a> in their stool, says Dr. Anderson, rather than fat. (Fatty stools, or steatorrhea, are a telltale sign of EPI.) Like those of EPI, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/irritable-bowel-syndrome\/\" data-gd-wrapped=\"\">IBS symptoms<\/a> tend to occur after eating, but IBS may also be triggered by stress, infection, and other factors.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Crohn\u2019s disease:<\/strong> A type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn\u2019s is marked by chronic inflammation of the GI tract, such as the end of the small intestine. As with EPI, notes Anderson, people who have Crohn\u2019s often experience abdominal pain, diarrhea, steatorrhea, and weight loss. But, she adds, Crohn\u2019s also typically causes bloody stools, fever, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/anemia\/anemia-basics.aspx\" data-gd-wrapped=\"\">anemia<\/a>, a decrease in red blood cells that can cause fatigue.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ulcerative colitis:<\/strong> People with either EPI or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/ulcerative-colitis\/guide\/\" data-gd-wrapped=\"\">ulcerative colitis<\/a> can experience abdominal pain, diarrhea, and weight loss, but Anderson says that ulcerative colitis doesn\u2019t typically cause bloating, flatulence, or steatorrhea, though it can trigger mucus \u2014 not fat \u2014 in stools. Ulcerative colitis is more similar to Crohn\u2019s, in that it\u2019s an IBD, but with colitis, inflammation is located in the large intestine. The two conditions also share symptoms such as anemia, loss of appetite, and bloody stools, as well as some that affect the skin, eyes, and joints.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Celiac disease: <\/strong>Celiac disease, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/gluten\/guide\/\" data-gd-wrapped=\"\">gluten<\/a> sensitivity, and EPI arguably have the most symptoms in common, says Anderson. Like those with EPI, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/celiac-disease\/guide\/\" data-gd-wrapped=\"\">people with celiac disease<\/a> experience abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, steatorrhea, and weight loss but may also have anemia, and some \u2014 about 10 percent of the people she treats, Anderson says \u2014 will feel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/constipation\/guide\/\" data-gd-wrapped=\"\">constipated<\/a>. Another difference is that the diarrhea caused by celiac disease tends to be more watery. While you may primarily notice <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/exocrine-pancreatic-insufficiency\/symptoms\/\">symptoms of EPI<\/a> after eating foods that contain fat, people with celiac disease experience symptoms when eating breads, pastas, cereals, and other foods that contain gluten.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Infections:<\/strong> In some instances, bowel problems may be a sign of excess bacteria in your small intestine. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), when the bacteria in the small intestine grow out of control, shares many of the symptoms of EPI. These symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>How EPI Is Diagnosed<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>According to Anderson, physicians have historically used stool collection studies during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/hs\/exocrine-pancreatic-insufficiency\/epi-diagnosis-julie-dubois\/\">diagnostic process<\/a> for EPI. During these tests, designed to assess the ability of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/pancreatitis\/guide\/pancreas\/\" data-gd-wrapped=\"\">pancreas<\/a> to produce and secrete fat-digesting enzymes, people who are suspected to have EPI are instructed to consume a high-fat diet \u2014 more than 100 grams of fat a day, equal to a stick of butter \u2014 for two or three days.<\/p>\n<p>Doctors then measure the amount of fat in the stool: If there is more than 7 grams over a 24-hour period, it\u2019s considered malabsorption and thus signals EPI.<\/p>\n<p>A drawback with this test is that Crohn\u2019s disease and ulcerative colitis may also cause problems with fat absorption, so they would also provide a positive test result \u2014 and that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that something is wrong with the pancreas, says Anderson.<\/p>\n<p>Fecal elastase tests are also used to diagnose EPI. Elastase is one of the enzymes produced by the pancreas to help the body digest fat. Low levels of the enzyme in the stool means the pancreas is not producing sufficient amounts \u2014 a condition that results in EPI.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf elastase levels are low, we know the problem is in the pancreas, and it\u2019s not something else,\u201d Anderson explains.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, Anderson notes, if you see blood in your stools, it would indicate that you might have a condition other than EPI. \u201cBloody stools [indicate] ulcerative colitis, Crohn\u2019s, or maybe even an underlying cancer \u2014 not EPI,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6432881\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">study published in March 2019 in the journal <em>Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology<\/em><\/a>, other tests for EPI include breath tests, pancreatic function tests, and imaging to check if the ducts in the pancreas are functioning. But because EPI\u2019s symptoms overlap with those of many other GI problems, it\u2019s important for doctors to test for EPI if a patient has any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/hs\/exocrine-pancreatic-insufficiency\/health-conditions-linked-to-epi\/\">conditions that are linked to EPI<\/a>, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/pancreatitis\/guide\/\" data-gd-wrapped=\"\">pancreatitis<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/cystic-fibrosis\/guide\/\" data-gd-wrapped=\"\">cystic fibrosis<\/a>, or nutritional <a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/hs\/guide-to-essential-nutrients\/common-nutrient-deficiencies\/\" data-gd-wrapped=\"\">deficiencies<\/a> that don\u2019t seem to have a clear cause.<\/p>\n<p>Anderson emphasizes that people who suspect they have EPI can \u2014 and should \u2014 influence their doctor\u2019s decision to test for it, simply by using their own judgment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI always ask my patients, \u2018Do you see fat in the toilet after you go to the bathroom?\u2019 If they look at their stool and see fat globules or an oily sheen, as opposed to thick, yellow mucus or red blood, that\u2019s a pretty specific sign that they have EPI instead of another disease, she says. \u201cIt\u2019s not always an easy or comfortable conversation to have, but it can be the key to a timely diagnosis.<\/p>\n<p><em>Additional reporting by Elizabeth Yun<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Conditions That Cause EPI-Like SymptomsEPI\u2019s symptoms mirror those of many other digestive health problems, including:Irritable bowel syndrome: IBS is marked by abdominal pain, bloating, bouts of diarrhea or constipation, and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":489,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1434519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/489"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1434519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1434519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1434519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1434519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}