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VIPoma - Symptom

Alternative Names

Vasoactive intestinal peptide-producing tumor; Pancreatic endocrine tumor

Symptoms:

Abdominal pain and cramping
Flushing or redness of the face
Nausea
Watery diarrhea (often massive amounts)
Weight loss

Signs and tests:

Signs may include:

Dehydration
High volume of diarrhea (even without eating)
Low stomach acid (achlorhydria)
Low blood potassium (hypokalemia), which can cause leg cramps

Tests include:

CT scan
MRI
Stool examination for cause of diarrhea and electrolyte levels
Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in the blood

Pancreas

Reviewed last on: 9/4/2008
Sean O. Stitham, MD, private practice in Internal Medicine, Seattle, Washington; and James R. Mason, MD, Oncologist, Director, Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program and Stem Cell Processing Lab, Scripps Clinic, Torrey Pines, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Jensen RT, Norton JA. Endocrine tumors of the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2006:chap 31.

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