digestive disorders
Gastrinoma
Symptoms of Gastrinoma
The excess gastrin secreted by the gastrinoma causes the stomach to produce far too much acid. This overproduction of acid can result in Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. In Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, a person has symptoms of aggressive Peptic Ulcer Disease (such as pain or bleeding) in the stomach, duodenum, and elsewhere in the intestine. However, as many as 25% of people with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome do not have an ulcer when the diagnosis is made. Rupture, bleeding, and obstruction of the intestine can occur and can be life threatening. For more than half of the people with a gastrinoma, symptoms are no worse than those experienced by people with ordinary peptic ulcer disease. In 25 to 40% of people, diarrhea resulting from the excess acid production is the first symptom. 