Treatment with acarbose in severe hypoglycaemia due to late dumping syndrome

Dumping syndrome is a serious complication that may occur after gastric surgery in approximately 10% of patients in the 1990s. With the increasing number of patients undergoing bariatric surgery, the incidence of dumping syndrome is likely to increase in recent years. It is necessary for clinicians to recognize the syndrome and master its management. We present a case of recurrent loss of consciousness, which was finally accurately diagnosed as late dumping syndrome twelve years after subtotal gastrectomy and successfully treated with acarbose. A 66-year old lean male was found unconscious repeatedly within one year, oral glucose tolerance tests performed before and after acarbose treatment verified the diagnosis of late dumping syndrome. Hypoglycaemia can damage the body in acute and chronic form. Acarbose can be used as a successful treatment modality for reactive hypoglycaemia due to late dumping syndrome by influencing the release of hormone.