Alternative names: Dumping syndrome.
Rapid gastric emptying happens when the lower end of the small intestine (jejunum) fills too quickly with undigested food from the stomach. "Early" dumping begins during or right after a meal. Some people may have both early dumping and delayed gastric emptying due to gastric rhythm disturbances.
Certain types of stomach surgery that allow the stomach to empty rapidly are the main cause of dumping syndrome. Patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome may also have dumping syndrome. (Zollinger-Ellison syndrome is a rare disorder involving extreme peptic ulcer disease and gastrin-secreting tumors in the pancreas.)
Symptoms of early dumping include nausea, vomiting, bloating, diarrhea and shortness of breath.
Doctors diagnose dumping syndrome primarily on the basis of symptoms in patients who have had gastric surgery that causes the syndrome. Tests may be needed to exclude other conditions that have similar symptoms.
Treatment includes changes in eating habits and possible medication.
Gastric dumping is more common in bariatric surgery patients who are severely obese.
People who have dumping syndrome need to eat several small meals a day that are low in carbohydrates and should drink liquids between meals, not with them.
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