Post-prandial Hypoglycemia after Bariatric Surgery: Pharmacological Treatment with Verapamil and Acarbose

Postprandial hypoglycemia is a common complication of bariatric surgery. It is usually caused by late dumping syndrome, but a few other causes have already been described, including insulinoma and noninsulinoma pancreatogenous hypoglycemic syndrome (NIPHS). Considering that NIPHS is a recently descr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Obesity surgery 2008-12, Vol.18 (12), p.1618-1621
Main Authors: Moreira, Rodrigo O., Moreira, Rustan B. M., Machado, Nikolas A. M., Gonçalves, Tatiana B., Coutinho, Walmir F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acarbose - administration & dosage
Calcium Channel Blockers - administration & dosage
Case Report
Drug therapy
Drug Therapy, Combination
Dumping Syndrome - complications
Dumping Syndrome - drug therapy
Dumping Syndrome - etiology
Dumping Syndrome - physiopathology
Female
Gastric Bypass - adverse effects
Gastrointestinal surgery
Humans
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia - etiology
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Obesity
Pharmacology
Postoperative Complications - drug therapy
Surgery
Verapamil - administration & dosage
Young Adult
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Summary:Postprandial hypoglycemia is a common complication of bariatric surgery. It is usually caused by late dumping syndrome, but a few other causes have already been described, including insulinoma and noninsulinoma pancreatogenous hypoglycemic syndrome (NIPHS). Considering that NIPHS is a recently described syndrome and is also very rare, therapeutic approaches are still not consensual. We report the case of a 26-year-old woman who was submitted to bariatric surgery and presented episodic postprandial hypoglycemic episodes after 16 months. Fasting C-peptide, insulin, and glucose were normal. Because of the possibility of NIPHS, clinical treatment was initiated with verapamil and acarbose, leading to a significant reduction of hypoglycemic episodes and also their severity. Surgery is the most common approach to NIPHS. However, in cases of mild or moderate symptoms, it is important to consider the possibility of pharmacological treatment. This approach may result, at least for some time, in an amelioration of symptoms without the need of an aggressive procedure.
ISSN:0960-8923
1708-0428
DOI:10.1007/s11695-008-9569-9