Rapid Dumping Syndrome Symptoms and Treatment

What Is Rapid Dumping Syndrome?

The medical term for a group of symptoms that are generally related with gastrointestinal surgery, rapid dumping syndrome is a condition that occurs when the undigested contents of the stomach pass too quickly into the small bowel. Also known as rapid gastric emptying, the condition typically occurs following a surgical procedure that involves removing part or all of the stomach or bypassing the stomach to lose weight.

Most symptoms of the condition occur during a meal or within 15 to 30 minutes after eating; however, it can take as long as 1 to 3 hours for symptoms to develop. At any rate, the condition typically presents a myriad of gastrointestinal and cardiovascular symptoms. Nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, feeling full, flushing, feeling dizzy or lightheaded and experiencing heart palpitations or rapid heart rate are all common. Additionally dumping syndrome symptoms such as sweating, hunger, fatigue, confusion, and fainting may occur.

The cause of the disorder is the uncontrolled progression of food and gastric juices from the stomach to the small intestine. This rapid passage is most commonly caused by changes in the stomach that have been made by surgery. The change most often linked to this issue involves the manipulation or removal of the opening between the stomach and the small intestine.

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