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

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Abstract

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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Obesity and Eating Disorders Group (GOTA), Instituto Estadual de Diabetes e Endocrinologia Luiz Capriglione (IEDE)/Instituto de Psiquiatria da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (IPUB), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Rodrigo O. Moreira & Walmir F. Coutinho

  2. Instituto Estadual de Diabetes e Endocrinologia Luiz Capriglione (IEDE), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Rustan B. M. Moreira & Tatiana B. Gonçalves

  3. Programa de Saúde da Família (PSF) do Jardim Leblon, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

    Nikolas A. M. Machado

  4. Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Rodrigo O. Moreira & Walmir F. Coutinho

  5. Instituto Estadual de Diabetes e Endocrinologia, Rua Moncorvo Filho 90–Centro, CEP 20211-340, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Rodrigo O. Moreira

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  1. Rodrigo O. Moreira
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  2. Rustan B. M. Moreira
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  3. Nikolas A. M. Machado
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  4. Tatiana B. Gonçalves
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  5. Walmir F. Coutinho
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Correspondence to Rodrigo O. Moreira.

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Moreira, R.O., Moreira, R.B.M., Machado, N.A.M. et al. Post-prandial Hypoglycemia after Bariatric Surgery: Pharmacological Treatment with Verapamil and Acarbose. OBES SURG 18, 1618–1621 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-008-9569-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-008-9569-9

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