All you need to know about Dumping Syndrome

Dumping Syndrome is a health condition that develops after a Bariatric surgery

Here, portions of abdominal organs are either removed or bypassed for aiding weight loss.

atients who have undergone oesophageal surgery may also experience this problem. Dumping syndrome occurs when there is a quick passage of food, especially sugar from the stomach to the small intestine

This happens at an uncontrolled and abnormally fast pace. It is also termed as rapid gastric emptying.

Usually, people suffering from this syndrome experience symptoms like abdominal cramps, pain or diarrhoea within half an hour of eating.

However, some of them have witness signs of discomfort anytime between one and three hours of eating too.

This condition can be normally treated by dietary changes though a surgical intervention may be needed if there are complications

Chennai Gastro Care is known to offer effective treatment for Dumping Syndrome with its competent team of gastric doctors.

Symptoms

Early Stage

• Abdominal bloating
• Feeling of nausea
• Vomiting episodes
• Stomach cramps
• Flushing
• Loose stools
• Dizziness

Advanced Stage

• Exhaustion
• Light-headedness
• Sweating
• Loss of attention
• Rapid pulse rate/Heart palpitations
• Hunger feeling
• Low blood sugar due to high insulin levels

Risk Factors

• Surgeries done to alter the stomach size in liposuction treatment and for treating stomach and oesophageal cancer like Gastrectomy, Gastric bypass surgery and Esophagectomy (removal of the oesophagus).
• Complications arising from Hernia Surgery (done for treating hiatal hernia) can also pose a risk of dumping syndrome

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of Dumping Syndrome can be done using the following methods-

• Doing a thorough medical history evaluation to check if the patient has undergone abdominal surgery in the past and closely examining the prevailing symptoms and signs.
• Taking a blood test to check if the glucose levels are low and further doing a glucose tolerance test during peak symptoms to confirm the diagnosis.
• Conducting a gastric emptying test using a radioactive substance to determine how quickly the food passes through the stomach.

Treatment

The early symptoms of Dumping Syndrome are likely to resolve by themselves within three months from the onset of the problem. Other treatment options include-

Lifestyle Changes -Just like GERD treatment, making suitable dietary changes can go a long way in easing the symptoms. Thus some of the lifestyle changes to be done regarding food consumption include-

• Drastically reducing the intake of sugary items like candies, sweets, cakes, cookies and pastries, alcohol and fat-laden dairy products
• Consuming sugar supplements, fibre enriched foods and small quantities of healthy carbohydrates at frequent intervals during the day
• Slicing the food items into smaller bits, chewing properly before swallowing and avoiding overeating

Medications- Patients suffering from severe signs of Dumping Syndrome may not be benefitted by dietary modifications alone. In such cases, doctors may prescribe anti-diarrhoeal drugs which can reduce the pace of the food emptying process to the small intestine. These drugs are normally injected under the skin and may cause side-effects like instances of nauseating, vomiting and stomach upset.

Alternative Supplements- Some health supplements like pectin, guar gum, black psyllium and blond psyllium. These substances essentially thicken the digestive contents and slow down its movement to the intestinal organs. But it is important to discuss with the physician about the probable side-effects and harmful reactions with the existing medications before consuming them.

Surgery-Surgical intervention may be inevitable in patients who do not respond to the conservative treatment approaches mentioned above. In such situations, a reconstructive operation may be performed to alter the pylorus structure or reverse the gastric bypass surgery.

Prevention

Adopting simple lifestyle modifications and taking home remedies can provide substantial relief from Dumping Syndrome effects-

• Eat smaller quantities of healthy meals at periodic intervals rather than eating large meals thrice daily
• Try to ensure that most of the fluid intake happens well before mealtimes and avoid drinking anything immediately before and after meals.
• Keep the body well-hydrated by drinking about two litres of healthy fluids like water daily. The fluids in the meals may be increased incrementally based on individual tolerance levels.
• Reduce alcohol intake.
• Consume a healthy diet with more proteins and highly fibrous whole-grain foods and avoid eating items with high fructose and sucrose content.