Pancreas — the quiet endocrine/exocrine overachiever we all secretly respect (and occasionally curse during a tricky hypoglycemia case).
Now, if you’ve ever fumbled through a viva trying to recall which hormone comes from which islet cell, you’re not alone. I once blanked during an MRCP mock and mumbled “glucagon… probably from the… left side?”
(For the record, that’s not a thing.) 🙃
But here’s the good news: the humble PIGS mnemonic makes remembering pancreatic hormones easy — and slightly farm-themed. 🐖
🧠 Pancreatic Hormones Mnemonic: “PIGS”
| Letter | Hormone | Produced by | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| P | Pancreatic Polypeptide 🧩 | PP cells (F cells) | Inhibits exocrine pancreas, gallbladder contraction, and gastric motility. Think of it as the pancreas whispering: “Slow down, buddy.” |
| I | Insulin 🍬 | Beta cells (β) | Lowers blood glucose. Anabolic. Promotes glycogenesis, lipogenesis, and storage. Favorite of Dr. Basit Khan, who once described it as “the ultimate hoarder hormone.” |
| G | Glucagon 🔥 | Alpha cells (α) | Raises blood glucose. Catabolic. Stimulates glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis. Shows up uninvited during fasting or fear. |
| S | Somatostatin 🧊 | Delta cells (δ) | The pan-hormonal party pooper. Inhibits insulin, glucagon, gastrin, and basically says “no” to everyone. Dr. Behroz Rahim calls it “the psychiatrist hormone.” (It suppresses all extremes.) |
Clinical Nuggets from Quetta
Last month, a 55-year-old gentleman from Panjgur presented to our unit with episodes of fasting hypoglycemia and confusion — classic Whipple’s triad.
CT showed a small insulinoma — an insulin-secreting tumor. Glucose crashed faster than a student before an OSCE.
After stabilization and a mini tug-of-war with Dr. Danish Ramzan over surgical timing, we got him sorted.
Moral of the story? Beta cells don’t always behave.
Also, fun fact: we had a debate in the call room over whether glucagon or adrenaline kicks in first during stress. I maintain it’s glucagon. Dr. Imran Baloch insists it’s adrenaline. The jury’s still out — but my bet is on PIGS.
That’s all for today. I hope that you find this blog post useful in your studies/clinical practice. Happy learning! 🙂
