Structure and Function of Pancreas and Small Intestine

The pancreas is a human body organ which is located in the abdomen. It is 12-15 cm long and is divided into body, tail and head. The head of the pancreas is located within the curve formed by the duodenum. The body of pancreas goes at the back of the stomach and the tail ends near the spleen. It is considered as mixed gland as it acts as endocrine and exocrine gland at the same time. It produces juices which help in digestion of the food, it is known as pancreatic juice. It also takes part in blood glucose control (Warshaw et al., 2018).

The small intestine is body’s longest organ. It is made up of three parts, they are duodenum, jejunum and ileum. The function of the small intestine is to digest the food. Digestive enzymes coming from pancreas and liver act on food and break it down. Proteins, fats and carbohydrates are converted into amino acid, fatty acid and glucose respectively (Walker-Smith, 2013).

References for Diseases of the Small Intestine

Walker-Smith, J. A. (2013). Diseases of the Small Intestine in Childhood. Elsevier Science: Amsterdam, Netherland .

Warshaw, A. L., Shimosegawa, T., Whitcomb, D. C., Neoptolemos, J. P.& Lerch, M. M. (2018). The pancreas: An integrated textbook of basic science, medicine, and surgery. Wiley: New Jersey, United States of America.

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