Question: How to diagnose Dumping Syndrome ?
Answer: A health care provider will diagnose dumping syndrome primarily on the basis of symptoms. A scoring system helps differentiate dumping syndrome from other GI problems. The scoring system assigns points to each symptom and the total points result in a score. A person with a score above 7 likely has dumping syndrome.
The following tests may confirm dumping syndrome and exclude other conditions with similar symptoms:
- A modified oral glucose tolerance test checks how well insulin works with tissues to absorb glucose. A health care provider performs the test during an office visit or in a commercial facility and sends the blood samples to a lab for analysis. The person should fasteat or drink nothing except waterfor at least 8 hours before the test. The health care provider will measure blood glucose concentration, hematocritthe amount of red blood cells in the bloodpulse rate, and blood pressure before the test begins. After the initial measurements, the person drinks a glucose solution. The health care provider repeats the initial measurements immediately and at 30-minute intervals for up to 180 minutes. A health care provider often confirms dumping syndrome in people with - low blood sugar between 120 and 180 minutes after drinking the solution - an increase in hematocrit of more than 3 percent at 30 minutes - a rise in pulse rate of more than 10 beats per minute after 30 minutes - A gastric emptying scintigraphy test involves eating a bland mealsuch as eggs or an egg substitutethat contains a small amount of radioactive material. A specially trained technician performs this test in a radiology center or hospital, and a radiologista doctor who specializes in medical imaginginterprets the results. Anesthesia is not needed. An external camera scans the abdomen to locate the radioactive material. The radiologist measures the rate of gastric emptying at 1, 2, 3, and 4 hours after the meal. The test can help confirm a diagnosis of dumping syndrome.
- An upper GI endoscopy involves using an endoscopea small, flexible tube with a lightto see the upper GI tract. A gastroenterologista doctor who specializes in digestive diseasesperforms the test at a hospital or an outpatient center. The gastroenterologist carefully feeds the endoscope down the esophagus and into the stomach and duodenum. A small camera mounted on the endoscope transmits a video image to a monitor, allowing close examination of the intestinal lining. A person may receive general anesthesia or a liquid anesthetic that is gargled or sprayed on the back of the throat. If the person receives general anesthesia, a health care provider will place an intravenous (IV) needle in a vein in the arm. The test may show ulcers, swelling of the stomach lining, or cancer. - An upper GI series examines the small intestine. An x-ray technician performs the test at a hospital or an outpatient center and a radiologist interprets the images. Anesthesia is not needed. No eating or drinking is allowed before the procedure, as directed by the health care staff. During the procedure, the person will stand or sit in front of an x-ray machine and drink barium, a chalky liquid. Barium coats the small intestine, making signs of a blockage or other complications of gastric surgery show up more clearly on x rays.