What are the symptoms of VIPoma?
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Symptoms of VIPoma may include any of the following:
- Abdominal pain and cramping.
- Diarrhea (watery, and often in large amounts)
- Dehydration.
- Flushing or redness of the face.
- Muscle cramps due to low blood potassium (hypokalemia)
- Nausea.
- Weight loss.
Is VIPoma curable?
Surgery can usually cure VIPomas. But, in one third to one half of people, the tumor has spread by the time of diagnosis and cannot be cured.
How is VIPoma diagnosed?
Tests used to diagnose a VIPoma may include blood tests (including VIP level), imaging studies such as a CT scan or MRI , and examination of a stool sample. Unfortunately, even though these tumors are slow-growing, the majority of VIPomas are metastatic (have spread to other parts of the body) at the time of diagnosis.
How does VIPoma cause achlorhydria?
Hypochlorhydria or achlorhydria is typically due to the inhibitory effect on parietal cells of gastric mucosa, resulting in reduced gastric acid production (16). This usually leads to the malabsorption of essential electrolytes and vitamins.
What is a VIP tumor?
A very rare tumor that usually forms in the islet cells of the pancreas and makes the hormone vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). VIP helps control the secretion of water, salts, enzymes, and gastric acid during digestion and relaxes certain muscles in the digestive tract.
How many people have VIPoma?
VIPomas are very rare. Only around 1 person in every 10 million develop a VIPoma every year. Around 2 out of every 100 pancreatic NETs (2%) diagnosed every year are VIPomas.
Is VIPoma a neuroendocrine tumor?
VIPoma is a type of neuroendocrine tumour (NET) that usually starts in the pancreas. Its symptoms can be vague. See your GP if you are worried. VIPomas usually make large amounts of a hormone called vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP).
How does VIPoma cause acidosis?
A VIPoma is a neuroendocrine neoplasm secreting VIP, causing severe watery diarrhea, which can result in hypokalemia and metabolic acidosis. Larger tumors (with highly elevated plasma VIP levels) can cause up to 6-8L of watery stools per day.
Why does VIPoma cause metabolic acidosis?
Hypokalemia and hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis occur due to a large amount of GI loss and bicarbonate wasting. Hypochlorhydria occurs secondary to the direct gastric acid inhibitory effect of VIP.
What are the signs and symptoms of VIPoma?
The major symptoms of vipoma are prolonged massive watery diarrhea (fasting stool volume > 750 to 1000 mL/day and nonfasting volumes of > 3000 mL/day) and symptoms of hypokalemia, metabolic acidosis, and dehydration. In half of patients, diarrhea is constant; in the rest, diarrhea severity varies over time.
What are the symptoms of VIPoma and hypokalemia?
The major symptoms of vipoma are prolonged massive watery diarrhea (fasting stool volume > 750 to 1000 mL/day and nonfasting volumes of > 3000 mL/day) and symptoms of hypokalemia Symptoms and Signs Hypokalemia is serum potassium concentration 3. 5 mEq/L (3.
What are the signs and symptoms of pancreatic VIPoma?
(See also Overview of Pancreatic Endocrine Tumors .) The major symptoms of vipoma are prolonged massive watery diarrhea (fasting stool volume > 750 to 1000 mL/day and nonfasting volumes of > 3000 mL/day) and symptoms of hypokalemia, metabolic acidosis, and dehydration.
How is VIPoma diagnosed in the workup of diarrhea?
Diagnosis of vipoma requires demonstration of secretory diarrhea (stool osmolality is close to plasma osmolality, and twice the sum of sodium and potassium concentration in the stool accounts for all measured stool osmolality). Other causes of secretory diarrhea and, in particular, laxative abuse must be excluded (see testing of diarrhea).