What is Dumping Syndrome? Symptoms and Treatment

Dumping syndrome is a condition caused by the rapid passage of food from the contents of the stomach to the duodenum, the first part of the intestine, following meals. If this syndrome occurs, the person may experience complaints such as stomach cramps, diarrhea and nausea, especially after consuming foods with high sugar content. Although controlling dumping syndrome is usually a matter of nutrition, making various lifestyle changes may be sufficient. However, in more serious cases, other treatment interventions such as medication or surgery may be used. “What does dumping syndrome mean?” and “What is dumping?” You can follow the rest of the article for answers to your questions such as.

What is Dumping Syndrome?

Dumping syndrome is a condition that usually occurs after bariatric operations performed to control body weight. There is a predisposition to dumping syndrome in people who have had part or all of the stomach removed. This predisposition also applies to people who have had esophageal operations. Complaints of dumping syndrome, which occurs when food passes quickly from the stomach to the intestine, usually begin within 10 to 30 minutes after ingesting the food. However, this period may extend up to 3 hours after the meal in some people.

In general, dumping syndrome is tried to be prevented by a strict diet, especially after operations that pose a risk for this syndrome. Reducing the size of meals or avoiding foods with high sugar content are among the practices that can be done in this context. However, not every case of dumping syndrome may have a mild course. In severe cases of dumping syndrome, treatment interventions, including surgery, are used to control this disorder.

What are the symptoms of Dumping Syndrome?

Dumping syndrome symptoms may vary depending on whether this disorder occurs early or late. Complaints that occur in early-onset dumping syndrome begin approximately 10 to 30 minutes following meal consumption, while this period is between 2-3 hours for late-onset dumping syndrome. Various studies have shown that almost three quarters of individuals experiencing dumping syndrome have early-onset dumping syndrome. While late-onset dumping syndrome is observed in approximately one quarter of the patients; Some patients may experience both forms of this syndrome simultaneously.

Dumping syndrome symptoms vary from person to person and depending on the period in which the disorder occurs. Complaints that occur in early-onset dumping syndrome manifest themselves in a short time, especially after consuming a meal with high sugar content. The complaints that may occur in these people can generally be summarized as follows:

• Diarrhea,
• Dizziness,
• Swelling,
• Acceleration of heartbeat,
• Nausea and vomiting,
• Redness on the face or other skin areas,
• Abdominal pain and cramping.

Dumping syndrome that occurs over a long period of time, such as 3 hours after a meal, is defined as late onset. It usually results in low blood sugar in people. The symptoms that may occur if this situation occurs are as follows:

• Dizziness,
• Weakness,
• not feeling hungry,
• Acceleration of heartbeat,
• Sweating,
• Weakness,
• Difficulty concentrating.

Some people may suffer from both forms of the disorder. Since symptoms of both forms of the disease may coexist in these people, one should be aware of this issue.

What Causes Dumping Syndrome?

In healthy people, the passage of food consumed during meals from the stomach to the intestine occurs within a few hours. When food passes into the small intestine, it is broken down into building blocks by digestive enzymes. This ensures that these substances mix with the bloodstream. In dumping syndrome, food passes from the stomach to the intestine in a very short time instead of a few hours. In early dumping syndrome, food passes from the stomach to the intestine too quickly, causing excessive amounts of fluid to be withdrawn from the bloodstream into the intestinal lumen. Excessive fluid entering the intestines manifests itself with complaints such as diarrhea and bloating. Meanwhile, various chemicals secreted by the intestines trigger the patient’s heart rate to accelerate and blood pressure to decrease. The decrease in blood pressure results in complaints such as dizziness being added to the disease picture.

Late dumping syndrome is generally caused by changes in a person’s blood sugar and insulin levels. Complaints in late dumping syndrome occur due to the passage of foods with high starch and sugar content into the intestine. In the initial stage, with the absorption of these nutrients, a slight increase in the person’s blood sugar level occurs. In response to this increase, the insulin hormone secreted from the pancreas encourages the uptake of high blood sugar by the cells for use in metabolic activities. An increase in the insulin hormone level results in a person’s blood sugar falling below normal levels. This condition, referred to as hypoglycemia, is an important finding that occurs in late dumping syndrome. Dumping syndrome is an expected situation after weight-loss surgical operations such as gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy. The absence of a part of the stomach after surgery has an accelerating effect on the passage of food from the stomach to the intestine. In addition to gastrectomy operations in which part or all of the stomach is removed, care should be taken as dumping syndrome may occur after gastric bypass operations in which the stomach is shaped into a tube and esophagotomy operations in which the esophagus is operated for cancer or various reasons.

How is Dumping Syndrome Diagnosed?

There are various methods that can be used in the diagnostic approach to dumping syndrome. A medical history and physical examination of the patient who applies to health institutions with complaints about this disorder is performed. At this stage, the person’s complaints are carefully examined and which ones may be related to dumping syndrome are investigated. Following these steps, different tests may be used to clarify the presence of dumping syndrome in the person. In the oral glucose test, the patient’s blood sugar is measured at certain hourly intervals and it is aimed to detect low blood sugar, especially in cases of late-onset dumping syndrome. In addition to this test, another procedure called gastric emptying test can be used to diagnose dumping syndrome. In a gastric emptying test, the patient consumes a radioactively labeled food. Then, special scanning devices are used to find out what path this food follows in the digestive tract. In this way, it can be determined how quickly the food consumed by the person leaves the stomach and passes into the intestines. In addition, endoscopic examinations may be required, especially in patients with a history of stomach surgery.

How is Dumping Syndrome Treated?

Dumping syndrome, which develops early following the consumption of food, is a condition that usually tends to regress spontaneously within 3 months. Various lifestyle changes made by the person during this period may be useful in controlling the complaints caused by dumping syndrome. In summary, the practices that people with dumping syndrome can do to relieve their symptoms are as follows:

• Instead of consuming 3 meals during the day, these meals should be divided into pieces and consumed in 5-6 meals,
• Avoiding products such as bakery products, sugary and carbonated drinks, or snacks containing refined sugar,
• Consuming protein sources containing white meat,
• Fiber, which has the ability to slow down the absorption of sugar and other carbohydrates from the intestines, should be included more in the nutrition plan,
• Not consuming liquid half an hour before and after meals,
• Swallowing the consumed food after chewing thoroughly to facilitate digestion,
• Consuming 8 glasses of water during the day, not between meals,
• Lying down and resting for 30 minutes after meals,
• Avoiding foods with high carbohydrate content, such as white bread, pasta and rice, which are low in fiber,
• Cessation of alcohol consumption.

It is recommended that you consult with your physician to decide which of these applications is suitable for you. It is very important that you do not perform any practices that are not within the knowledge and recommendation of your physician.

During the course of dumping syndrome, some people may also experience deficiencies in various nutrients due to the rapid transport of nutrients from the intestines. If such a situation is detected, the physician may add various nutritional supplements to the treatment plan. In cases where adequate recovery cannot be achieved despite changes in diet, treatment is supported with different medications. Some endoscopic techniques, which have been used more frequently lately, can also be tried as auxiliary methods in treatment. In cases where there is no response despite all these practices, surgical interventions may be used.

It is very important to consult a health institution if no results are obtained despite behavioral changes regarding nutrition. Early detection of nutritional deficiencies that may occur due to the wrong eating habits of some patients and the dumping syndrome itself and preventing wrong behaviors are among the basic approaches that positively affect the treatment process of the person. Osteoporosis due to impaired calcium absorption is among the possible complications in dumping syndrome patients. In these people, anemia may also be among the symptoms of the disease due to inadequate intake of various vitamins, especially iron. It is very important for patients with late-onset dumping syndrome to increase their fiber consumption. Increasing fiber consumption may be a protective behavior against the development of hypoglycemia in patients by slowing down the absorption of glucose in these people.

Dumping syndrome, which occurs after stomach surgery, is a condition that usually resolves spontaneously within a few months. However, if you experience signs and symptoms of dumping syndrome, it is recommended that you consult a healthcare institution, even if you do not have a history of any operation involving the digestive tract. At the same time, it is very important for people who are diagnosed with dumping syndrome but whose eating habits and symptoms have not improved, and for individuals who experience uncontrolled weight loss during the course of dumping syndrome, to seek support from specialist physicians by applying to health institutions. We wish you healthy days.