Dumping syndrome is common after gastric surgery. It is a group of symptoms that may result from having part of your stomachremoved or from other surgery involving the stomach. The symptoms range from mild to severe and often subside with time. Although you may find dumping syndrome alarming at first, it is not life threatening. You can control it by making changes in what and how you eat. By controlling dumping syndrome, you will also be avoiding the foods that tend to make you gain weight.

Causes of Dumping Syndrome

After gastric surgery, it can be more difficult to regulate movement of food, which dumps too quickly into the small intestine. Eating certain foods makes dumping syndrome more likely. For example, refined sugars rapidly absorb water from the body, causing symptoms. Symptoms may also happen after eating dairy products and certain fats or fried foods.

Dumping Syndrome: Symptoms of the Early Phase

An early dumping phase may happen about 30 to 60 minutes after you eat. Symptoms can last about an hour and may include:

• A feeling of fullness, even after eating just a small amount
• Abdominal cramping or pain
• Nausea or vomiting
• Severe diarrhea
• Sweating, flushing, or light-headedness
• Rapid heartbeat

 

 

Dumping Syndrome: Causes of the Early Phase

Symptoms of an early phase happen because food is rapidly “dumping” into the small intestine. This may be due to factors such as these:

• The small intestine stretches.
• Water pulled out of the bloodstream moves into the small intestine.
• Hormones released from the small intestine into the bloodstream affect blood pressure.

Dumping Syndrome: Symptoms of the Late Phase

A late dumping phase may happen about 1 to 3 hours after eating. Symptoms may include:

• Fatigue or weakness
• Flushing or sweating
• Shakiness, dizziness, fainting, or passing out
• Loss of concentration or mental confusion
• Feelings of hunger
• Rapid heartbeat

Dumping Syndrome: Causes of the Late Phase

The symptoms of this late phase may happen due to a rapid rise and fall in blood sugar levels. The cause of this rapid swing in blood sugar may be worse when eating sweets or other simple carbohydrates.

If you have not already been diagnosed with the dumping syndrome, and you have confusion, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, or fainting, get immediate medical help.

Dumping Syndrome Treatment

Many people find that taking steps like these greatly reduces symptoms of dumping syndrome.

Foods to avoid. Avoid eating sugar and other sweets such as:

• Candy
• Sweet drinks
• Cakes
• Cookies
• Pastries
• Sweetened breads

Also avoid dairy products and alcohol. And avoid eating solids and drinking liquids during the same meal. In fact, don’t drink 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after meals.

Foods to eat. To help with symptoms, also try these tips:

• Use fiber supplements, such as psyllium (Metamucil or Konsyl), methylcellulose (Citrucel), or guar gum (Benefiber).
• Use sugar replacements, such as Splenda, Equal, or Sweet’N Low, instead of sugar.
• Go for complex carbohydrates, such as vegetables and whole-wheat bread, instead of simple carbohydrates, such as sweet rolls and ice cream.
• To prevent dehydration, drink more than 4 cups of water or other sugar-free, decaffeinated, noncarbonated beverages throughout the day.

How to eat. Here are some other ways to lessen symptoms of dumping syndrome:

• Eat five or six small meals or snacks a day.
• Keep portions small, such as 1 ounce of meat or 1/4 cup of vegetables.
• Cut food into very small pieces. Chew well before swallowing.
• Combine proteins or fats along with fruits or starches. (For example, combine fruit with cottage cheese.)
• Stop eating when you first begin to feel full.
• Drink liquids 30 to 45 minutes after meals.
• Reclining after eating may help prevent light-headedness.

When to Call the Doctor About Dumping Syndrome

It is important to manage dumping syndrome so you stay well-nourished and don’t lose too much weight. Talk to your health care provider about any symptoms you have and what else you can do. In some cases, medication or surgery may be needed to help correct the symptoms of dumping syndrome.

If you’ve received the news that your lung contains something “suspicious,” this may be a source of great distress. The first thing that may come to mind is a dreaded word: cancer. In many cases, though, a lung nodule turns out to be benign. This means that it isn’t cancer. A hard part is waiting and not knowing. Here’s information that may make your wait just a little bit easier.

What Are Benign Lung Nodules and Benign Lung Tumors?

A nodule is a “spot on the lung,” seen on an X-ray or computed tomography (CT) scan. In fact, a nodule shows up on about one in every 500 chest X-rays. Normal lung tissue surrounds this small round or oval solid overgrowth of tissue. It may be a single or solitary pulmonary nodule. Or, you may have multiple nodules.

Your lung nodule is more likely to be benign if:

• You are younger than age 40.
• You are a nonsmoker.
• There is calcium in the nodule.
• The nodule is small.

A benign lung tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue that serves no purpose and is found not to be cancerous. Benign lung tumors may grow from many different structures in the lung.

Determining whether a nodule is a benign tumor or an early stage of cancer is very important. That’s because early detection and treatment of lung cancer can greatly enhance your survival.

What Are the Symptoms of Benign Lung Nodules and Tumors?

Benign lung nodules and tumors usually cause no symptoms. This is why they are almost always found accidentally on a chest X-ray or CT scan. However, they may lead to symptoms like these:

• wheezing
• Coughing that lasts or coughing up blood
• Shortness of breath
• Fever, especially if pneumonia is present

What Are the Causes of Benign Lung Nodules and Tumors?

The causes of benign lung tumors and nodules are poorly understood. But in general, they often result from problems like these:

Inflammation from infections such as:

• An infectious fungus (histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, cryptococcosis, or aspergillosis, for example)
• Tuberculosis (TB)
• A lung abscess
• Round pneumonia (rare in adults)

Inflammation from noninfectious causes such as:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Wegener granulomatosis
• Sarcoidosis

• Birth defects such as a lung cyst or other lung malformation.

  These are some of the more common types of benign lung tumors:

  • Hamartomas are the most common type of benign lung tumor and the third most common cause of solitary pulmonary nodules. These firm marble-like tumors are made up of tissue from the lung’s lining as well as tissue such as fat and cartilage. They are usually located in the periphery of the lung.
  • Bronchial adenomas make up about half of all benign lung tumors. They are a diverse group of tumors that arise from mucous glands and ducts of the windpipe or large airways of the lung. A mucous gland adenoma is an example of a true benign bronchial adenoma.
  • Rare neoplasms may include chondromas, fibromas, or lipomas — benign tumors made up of connective tissue or fatty tissue.

 

 

A pleural effusion is an unusualamount of fluid around the lung.There are many medicalconditions that can lead to  it. Soeventhough your pleural effusionmay have to be drained, yourdoctor likely will target thetreatment at whatever  caused it.

The pleura is a thin membranethat lines the surface of the lungsand the inside of the chest walloutside the lungs. In pleuraleffusions, fluid builds up in thespace between the layers of pleura.

Normally, only teaspoons of watery fluid are in the pleural space, allowingthe lungs to move smoothly within the chest cavity during breathing.

Causes

A wide range of things can cause a pleural effusion. Some of the morecommon ones are:

• Leakage from other organs: This is usually from congestive heartfailure (when your heart doesn’t pump blood to your body properly).But it can also come from liver or kidney disease when fluid builds up inyour body and leaks into the pleural space.
• Cancer: Usually lung cancer is the problem, but other cancers that havespread to the lung or pleura can cause it, too.
• Infections: Examples are pneumonia or tuberculosis.
• Autoimmune conditions: Examples are lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.
• Pulmonary embolism: This is a blockage in an artery in one of yourlungs.

Symptoms

You might not have any. You’re more likely to have symptoms when a pleuraleffusion is moderate or large-sized, or if inflammation is present.

If you do have symptoms, they may include:

• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain, especially on breathing in deeply (pleurisy, or pleuritic pain)
• Fever
• Cough

Types

Doctors use the terms “transudative” and “exudative” to describe the two main types of pleural effusions:

Transudative: This pleural effusion fluid is similar to the fluid you normally have in your pleural space. It forms from liquid leaking across normal pleura. This type of pleural effusion rarely needs to be drained unless they are very large. Congestive heart failure is the most common cause of this type of effusion.

Exudative: This effusion forms from excess liquid, protein, blood, inflammatory cells or sometimes bacteria leaking across damaged blood vessels into the pleura. It may need to be drained, depending on its size and how much inflammation is involved. Among its causes are pneumonia and lung cancer.

Treatment

Your doctor may need to treat only the medical condition that caused the pleural effusion. You would get antibiotics for pneumonia, for instance, or diuretics for congestive heart failure.

Large, infected, or inflamed pleural effusions often need to be drained to help you feel better and to prevent more problems. Procedures for treating pleural effusions include:

• Thoracentesis: If the effusion is large, your doctor may take more fluid than she needs for testing, just to ease your symptoms.
• Tube thoracostomy (chest tube): The doctor makes a small cut in your chest wall, and inserts a plastic tube into your pleural space for several days.
• Pleural drain: For pleural effusions that keep coming back, you may get a long-term catheter inserted through your skin into the pleural space. You can drain the pleural effusion at home. Your doctor will tell you how and when to do that.
• Pleurodesis: Your doctor injects an irritating substance (such as talc or doxycycline) through a chest tube into the pleural space. The substance inflames the pleura and chest wall, which then bind tightly to each other as they heal. Pleurodesis can prevent pleural effusions from coming back, in many cases.
• Pleural decortication: Surgeons can operate inside the pleural space, removing potentially dangerous inflammation and unhealthy tissue. To do this, your surgeon may make small cuts (thoracoscopy) or a large one (thoracotomy).

 

 

A cold or the flu runs its course in a couple weeks, if you’re lucky. After that, you’re back to normal. But sometimes you may get bronchitis, too.

That’s when your bronchial tubes, which carry air to your lungs, get infected and swollen. You end up with a nagging cough and a lot more mucus.

You can get bronchitis in other ways, too, and there are actually two types of it:

• Acute bronchitis: This is the more common one. Symptoms last for a few weeks, but it doesn’t usually cause any problems past that.
• Chronic bronchitis: This one is more serious, in that it keeps coming back or doesn’t go away at all. It’s one of the conditions that makes up what’s called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

 

What causes toxic megacolon?

How is toxic megacolon treated?

Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) is a disease involving inflammation of small bloodvessels. It most commonly occurs in children. The inflammationcauses blood vessels in the skin, intestines, kidneys, and joints to start leaking. The main symptom is a rash with numerous small bruises, which have a raised appearance, over the legs or buttocks.

Although HSP can affect people at any age, most cases occur in children between the ages of 2 and 11. It is more common in boys than girls. Adults with HSP are more likely to have more severe disease compared to children.

HSP usually ends after four to six weeks — sometimes with recurrence of symptoms over this period, but with no long-term consequences. If organs such as the kidneys and intestines are affected, treatment is often needed and it is important to have regular follow-up to prevent serious complications.

Causes and Risk Factors for Henoch-Schonlein Purpura

The exact cause of HSP is not known. The body’s immune system is believed to play a role in targeting the blood vessels involved. An abnormal immune response to an infection may be a factor in many cases. Approximately two-thirds of the cases of HSP occur days after symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection develop.

Some cases of HSP have been linked to vaccinations for typhoid, cholera, yellow fever, measles, or hepatitis B; foods, drugs, chemicals, and insect bites. Some experts also say that HSP is associated with the colder weather of fall and winter.

Symptoms of Henoch-Schonlein Purpura

The classic symptoms of HSP are rash, joint pain and swelling, abdominal pain, and/or related kidney disease, including blood in urine. Before these symptoms begin, patients may have two to three weeks of fever, headache, and muscular aches and pains. Rarely, other organs, such as the brain, heart, or lungs, may be affected.

Here are some key details about the symptoms of HSP:

Rash. The rash usually appears in all patients with HSP. The initial appearance may resemble hives, with small red spots or bumps on the lower legs, buttocks, knees, and elbows. But these change to appear more like bruises. The rash usually affects both sides of the body equally and does not turn pale on pressing.

Arthritis. Joint inflammation, involving pain and swelling, occurs in approximately three-quarters of cases, particularly affecting the knees and ankles. It usually lasts only a few days and does not cause any long-term, chronic joint problems.

Abdominal pain. In more than half of people with HSP, inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract may cause pain or cramping; it may also lead to loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and occasionally blood in the stool.

In some cases, patients may have abdominal pain before the rash appears. In rare cases, an abnormal folding of the bowel (intussusception) may cause a bowel blockage, which may require surgery to fix.

Kidney impairment. HSP can cause kidney problems, indicated by such signs as protein or blood in the urine. This is usually only discovered on urine testing, since it does not generally cause any discomfort.

In most patients, the kidney impairment is mild and goes away without any long-term damage. It’s important to monitor the kidney problems closely and make sure they clear up, since about 5% of patients may develop progressive kidney disease. About 1% may go on to develop total kidney failure.

Henoch-Schonlein Purpura Diagnosis and Treatment

The diagnosis of HSP may be clear when the typical rash, arthritis, and abdominal pain are present. A doctor may order some tests to rule out other diagnoses, confirm the diagnosis, and assess its severity.

Occasionally, when the diagnosis is uncertain, particularly if the only symptom is the classic rash, your doctor may perform biopsies of the skin or kidney. Urine and blood tests will likely be done to detect signs of kidney involvement and may need to be repeated during follow-up to monitor any changes in kidney function.

Although there is no specific treatment for HSP, you can use over-the-counter pain medicines, such as acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen for joint pain. In some cases, corticosteroid medication may be used.

The rash and joint pain will usually go away after four to six weeks without causing any permanent damage. Bouts of the rash may recur in approximately one-third of cases, but they are usually milder, do not involve joint and abdominal symptoms, and they clear up on their own.

Fecal incontinence is the inability to control bowel movements. It’s a common problem, especially among older adults.

Accidental bowel leakage is usually not a serious medical problem. But it can seriously interfere with daily life. People with bowel incontinence may avoid social activities for fear of embarrassment.

Many effective treatments can help people with bowel incontinence. These include:

• medicine
• surgery
• minimally invasive procedures

Talking to your doctor is the first step toward freedom from bowel incontinence.

Causes of Bowel Incontinence

The most common cause of bowel incontinence is damage to the muscles around the anus (anal sphincters). Vaginal childbirth can damage the anal sphincters or their nerves. That’s why women are affected by accidental bowel leakage about twice as often as men.

Anal surgery can also damage the anal sphincters or nerves, leading to bowel incontinence.

There are many other potential causes of bowel incontinence, including:

• Diarrhea (often due to an infection or irritable bowel syndrome)
• Impacted stool (due to severe constipation, often in older adults)
• Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis)
• Nerve damage (due to diabetes, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, or other conditions)
• Radiation damage to the rectum (such as after treatment for prostate cancer)
• Cognitive (thinking) impairment (such as after a stroke or advanced Alzheimer’s disease)

More than one cause for bowel incontinence is frequently present. It’s also not unusual for bowel incontinence to occur without a clear cause.

Diagnosis of Bowel Incontinence

Discussing bowel incontinence may be embarrassing, but it can provide clues for a doctor to help make the diagnosis. During a physical examination, a doctor may check the strength of the anal sphincter muscle using a gloved finger inserted into the rectum.

Stool testing. If diarrhea is present, stool testing may identify an infection or other cause.

Endoscopy. A tube with a camera on its tip is inserted into the anus. This identifies any potential problems in the anal canal or colon. A short, rigid tube (anoscopy) or a longer, flexible tube (sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy) may be used.

 

 

What Is Wernicke–Korsakoff Syndrome?

Risk Factors for WKS;

Causes of WKS: