What are the symptoms of Gastrinoma?

Gastrinoma patients suffer symptoms due to ulcers in the digestive tract resulting from the corrosive action of stomach acid on the gut lining. These include:

• Pain
• Indigestion
• Anorexia

Whilst these symptoms are not specific to gastrinoma, such patients exhibit certain characteristics that other ulcer patients may not:

• Ulcers prove to be resistant to treatment
• Gastrinoma patients have a higher than normal rate of complications than would normally be expected for patients with ulcers. These include:
  - bleeding
  - fibrosis
  - obstruction
  - fistula formation (an abnormal connection between two parts of the gut)
• Diarrhoea can be present. This is due to the excess acid deactivating digestive enzymes in the gut, as well as disturbing the gut lining, resulting in malabsorption of nutrients and resultant diarrhoea.