Home  Zollinger-Ellison syndrome
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Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome Zollinger-Ellison syndrome is the name that doctors use to describe a collection of symptoms arising from the stomach and part of the small bowel called the duodenum (the part of the small intestine leaving the stomach), which occur because the stomach makes too much acid all the time. This excess acid production can be traced to a growth (or tumour), which is usually in the pancreas gland. The tumour produces an excess of a normal hormone called gastrin. It is the gastrin that makes the stomach produce acid.
The pancreas is situated just below the stomach in the trunk (abdomen). It normally helps to digest food by sending chemical signals to the stomach, and by releasing other chemicals (called enzymes) into the duodenum to act on the food as it passes from the stomach.
It is not known why some people develop the tumours that cause this condition. Zollinger-Ellison syndrome is a rare disorder in which lumps (tumours) in the pancreas or, less often, in the wall of the duodenum secrete a chemical hormone (signal carried in the blood) substance (called gastrin) that causes the stomach to produce too much acid. This, in turn, leads to ulcers in the stomach and the top part of the intestine (duodenum).
The syndrome is serious and potentially life-threatening because the tumours producing the gastrin may spread.
The symptoms of an ulcer are variable (see also peptic ulcer), but may include a burning sensation in the upper trunk (abdomen) or hunger pain
1–3 hours after meals and in the middle of the night. In some cases, serious complications can occur like bleeding or perforation (erosion of the ulcer right through the gut wall). The ulcers caused by Zollinger-Ellison syndrome are generally more painful and less responsive to treatment than ordinary peptic ulcers.
The tumour in the pancreas that produces too much gastrin in this syndrome is usually malignant (in other words, it is a cancer and can spread to other parts of the body). The disease won’t go away without treatment once it occurs.
Surgical removal of the tumour is the optimal treatment because the tumour can spread to other parts of the body. Medications such as proton pump inhibitors are effective for suppressing stomach acid production in Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and are also used in the treatment of the condition.
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