| Dumping syndrome occurs when food passes too rapidly (dumps) from the stomach into the upper intestine (duodenum).Symptoms of dumping syndrome that occur within 30 minutes of eating are called “early dumping.” A meal, rich in carbohydrates, that is dumped too rapidly from the stomach can cause swelling in the upper intestine. At the same time, dumping causes an excess of certain intestinal hormones to be released into the bloodstream. Symptoms associated with early dumping are thought to be caused by the combination of these hormones and the shift of fluids from the circulation into the bowel causing intestinal fullness and circulating hypovolemia. “Late dumping” occurs 2-3 hours after eating. Sugars absorbed from the intestine rapidly increase the blood glucose level, causing an excess amount of insulin to be released. Excess insulin then causes the blood glucose to drop below the normal level causing low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). The symptoms that are associated with late dumping are usually due to decreased levels of blood glucose.
Individuals who have had part of their stomach removed (partial gastrectomy) are at high-risk for developing dumping syndrome because this procedure interferes with the normal mechanism that controls emptying of food from the stomach. Gastrectomy is a common treatment for individuals with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or otherwise healthy people who have developed stomach (gastric) cancer. It also often occurs in individuals who have undergone gastric bypass surgery for treatment ofobesity.Incidence and Prevalence: The incidence of dumping syndrome depends upon the type of gastric surgery that was performed. Generally, between 25% and 50% of all individuals who have undergone stomach surgery have some symptom of dumping syndrome; however, only 1% to 5% of these individuals have severely disabling symptoms. Dumping syndrome has also been reported to occur in 8.5% to 20% of individuals following surgery that cuts the vagus nerve (truncal vagotomy) and in 10% to 40% of individuals after partial gastrectomy (Petropoulos 287). Nearly 70% of individuals who have undergone gastric bypass surgery experience dumping (Feldman 331). |
Source: Medical Disability Advisor
Source: Medical Disability Advisor
