Contents:
- Medical Video: Peptic ulcers - causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, pathology
- What is Zollinger Ellison syndrome?
- Signs and symptoms of Zollinger Ellison syndrome
- How is Zollinger Ellison syndrome treated?
Medical Video: Peptic ulcers - causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, pathology
Increased stomach acid due to ulcer is not only caused by GERD or gastritis. If there is a wound in your stomach, this condition can lead to Zollinger Ellison syndrome which also makes stomach acid easily rise.
What is Zollinger Ellison syndrome?
Zollinger Ellison syndrome (ZES) is a rare digestive problem caused by the appearance of a tumor in the pancreas or on the duodenum (the upper part of the intestine 12 fingers). This tumor is called a gastrinoma, the dam can be benign or malignant which has the potential for cancer.
No one knows for sure the cause of gastinoma tumor growth that triggers Zollinger Ellison syndrome. However, as many as 25-30% of cases of gastrinoma are caused by a congenital genetic disorder called multiple neoplasia type 1 (MEN 1). MEN 1 mutations stimulate hormones that trigger the growth of tumors in the endocrine glands and 12 finger intestines.
The appearance of a gastrinoma tumor will cause the production of the hormone gastrin to be excessive, thus increasing the volume of gastric acid. Excessive stomach acid over time will erode the stomach lining and cause injury. At least 90% of people with ZES have wounds in their stomach or in their 12 finger intestines.
The presence of wounds in the digestive organs makes ZES sufferers more prone to recurrent ulcers (gastric ulcers) than the general population.
This syndrome is more commonly found in men aged 30-50 years.
Signs and symptoms of Zollinger Ellison syndrome
In addition to stomach acid which is prone to rise, ZES generally causes abdominal pain and diarrhea accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Nausea
- Gag; vomiting blood, in severe cases.
- Body weight drops dramatically without cause,
- Loss of appetite
How is Zollinger Ellison syndrome treated?
Zollinger Ellison's syndrome is often mistaken for GERD. However, digestive symptoms that arise due to ZES are usually more severe than GERD so the treatment will be very different from GERD.
One of the main ways to deal with Zollinger Ellison syndrome is to reduce the amount of stomach acid and treat ulcers in the stomach using a combination of proton pump inhibitors (PPI), such as lansoprazole (Prevacid), Omeprazole (Prilosec, Zegerid), pantoprazole (Protonix), and rabeprazole (Aciphex). In addition, Somatostatin analog drugs such as octreotide are needed to suppress the production of the hormone gastrin to reduce the severity of the symptoms.
If the case is severe, the doctor may recommend that you undergo surgery to remove the tumor to prevent it from developing into a cancerous stomach. Cancerous tumors can be treated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
