Serious Symptoms Of Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome

Diarrhea

An individual with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome develops tumors in their pancreas or duodenum. These tumors make too much gastrin, which induces the production of an excessive amount of stomach acid. The acidic contents move into the intestines and can cause damage to the mucous lining and underlying intestinal tissues. When the intestines become inflamed from internal acidic erosion, it can cause the muscles and nerves around them to become irritated as well. The muscles contract frequently and inappropriately when the areas around them become inflamed, which causes the food in the intestines to move through the digestive tract too quickly. The large intestine is responsible for the absorption of fluids from the stool before it is excreted from the body. However, the stool must move at a certain pace through the large intestine to give its lining enough time to perform this function. Inflammation in and around the intestine causes the stool to move through the large intestine before it absorbs enough fluid. This mechanism is what causes an affected individual to experience episodic diarrhea.

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Reduced Appetite

Reduced appetite describes when an individual has a decreased desire to eat the same way they normally would. An individual's appetite is influenced by many different factors that can be influenced by several different medical and mental conditions. A Zollinger-Ellison syndrome patient can develop malignant tumors in their pancreas and stomach. Malignant tumors in the glands and digestive organs tend to produce decreased appetite in an affected individual due to the mechanical nature of cancer and other factors. An individual may experience decreased appetite if they have Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and have a benign tumor in their duodenum that obstructs the proper and timely movement of food through their digestive system. A patient may also experience a reduced appetite if they develop ulcers in the lining of their stomach due to the excessive production of gastric acid and gastrin by the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome-precipitated tumor.

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