The major problem of cystic fibrosis, the number one genetic killer disease of children in the United States, is that the body overproduces thick, sticky mucus. The mucus blocks the pancreatic ducts, which impedes the flow of the pancreatic juices from the pancreas into the duodenum of the small intestines. Food cannot be properly digested. Pancreatic enzyme preparations are usually used to minimize the disease's effects on the pancreas. The most important enzyme for fat digestion is pancreatic lipase, which is capable of changing fat into glycerol fatty acids and cholesterol.
Hormones regulate pancreatic secretions.
Food enters the small intestine. The hormones secretin and cholecystokinin cause the pancreas to create large quantities of fluid containing bicarbonate ions, which neutralizes the acid stomach contents. The most common cause of acute pancreatitis is blockage by a gallstone of the main secretory duct from the pancreas as well as the common bile duct. When this happens, large quantities of pancreatic secretions pool in the pancreas and can digest the entire pancreas within a few hours. But because the islets of Langerhans are not adversely affected, the pancreas can continue secreting insulin.