Nine out of ten patients, among those who no longer have their stomachs due to a gastric tumor, may have a blood sugar that is too "ballerina".
To say this are the preliminary data of the first Italian study that investigates the prevalence of glycemic variability in those who have undergone partial or total gastrectomy after stomach cancer, which suggest that in the future it will be necessary to provide for the delivery of glycemic sensors also for these patients. , as well as for diabetics.
The objectives and preliminary results of the research, promoted by the Italian Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (Sinuc) in collaboration with the Italian Gastric Cancer Research Group (Gircg) and the non-profit association 'Living without a stomach, you can', are presented today on the occasion of the 4th seminar on nutrition studies in gastro-patients "Nutrition and nutrition in patients with stomach cancer: understanding well to be better treated", organized by the same association.
Excessive blood sugar changes are dangerous to health and must be kept under control to prevent hypoglycemia that could lead to coma and hospitalization. The Italians who no longer have their stomachs following a gastric tumor are about 80,000 and so far it was not known how widespread the 'dumping syndrome' was, a disorder that appears from a few minutes to 3 hours after eating because the food reaches too quickly. the small intestine. This rapid passage can cause, especially if the ingested food contains sugar, a wide variety of symptoms such as abdominal pain and distension, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, dizziness, sweating, hot flashes and sometimes syncope.
The study involved 322 patients enrolled in the 'Living without a stomach, you can' Association and from the first observational phase, just concluded, "it emerged that as many as 286, equal to 89% of the total, have symptoms that could be compatible with consistent fluctuations in blood sugar after meals ", explains Maurizio Muscaritoli, Sinuc president.
The data "once again underline the need to provide for" those who have had gastroresecation "access to the sensors for monitoring blood glucose, which are essential to avert the concrete risk of coma and hospitalization following hospitalization. of a possible severe hypoglycemia - explains Claudia Santangelo, president of "Living without a stomach, you can" - Today these devices will be provided free of charge only in Emilia-Romagna, a virtuous example that in the future should be followed by all Regions ".
