Originally published October 14 2005
Gastric bypass surgery linked to a new form of hypoglycemia
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
In Boston, a new study by collaborating researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Brigham and Women's Hospital has found that gastric bypass surgery sometimes results in patients showing a severe form of hypoglycemia that requires quick treatment.
Low Blood Glucose Levels May Complicate Gastric Bypass Surgery, Study Shows BOSTON -- Physicians monitoring patients who have undergone gastric bypass surgery should be on the alert for a new, potentially dangerous hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) complication that, while rare, may require quick treatment, according to a new study by collaborating researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and published in the October issue of the journal Diabetologia.
The study details the history of three patients, who did not have diabetes, who suffered such severe hypoglycemia following meals that they became confused and sometimes blacked out, in two cases causing automobile collisions.
All three patients in the collaborative study failed to respond to medication, and ultimately required partial or complete removal of the pancreas, the major source of insulin, to prevent dangerous declines in blood glucose.
"Severe hypoglycemia is a complication of gastric bypass surgery, and should be considered if the patient has symptoms such as confusion, lightheadedness, rapid heart rate, shaking, sweating, excessive hunger, bad headaches in the morning or bad nightmares," says Mary-Elizabeth Patti, M.D., Investigator in Joslin's Research Section on Cellular and Molecular Physiology and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
"If these symptoms don't respond to simple changes in diet, such as restricting intake of simple carbohydrates, patients should be evaluated hormonally, quickly," she adds.
Other causes of postprandial hypoglycemia can include overactive islet cells, sometimes caused by excess numbers of cells, a tumor in the pancreas that produces too much insulin, or familial hyperinsulinism (hereditary production of too much insulin), which in severe cases can necessitate removal of the pancreas.
"If we can understand what processes are responsible for too much insulin production and too many islet cells in these patients, we may be able to apply this information to stimulate insulin production in patients with diabetes, who lack sufficient insulin," Dr. Patti says.
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