VIPoma facts for kids
A VIPoma (pronounced "V I P oma") is a very rare type of growth that usually forms in the pancreas. The pancreas is an organ in your body that helps with digestion and controls your blood sugar. VIPomas are so rare that they happen to only about 1 in 10 million people each year!
This special growth makes a chemical called vasoactive intestinal peptide, or VIP for short. When there's too much VIP in the body, it can affect different parts like the heart, brain, gut, and gallbladder. Sometimes, doctors also call it Verner Morrison syndrome after the doctors who first learned about it.
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What is a VIPoma?
A VIPoma is a type of tumor that grows from special cells in the pancreas. These cells normally make important chemicals for your body. But with a VIPoma, they make too much of one specific chemical called VIP.
What does VIPoma do?
When a VIPoma makes too much VIP, it can cause different problems in the body. VIP is a chemical messenger, and having too much of it can make your body's systems work differently. For example, it can affect how your gut works, leading to issues like diarrhea. It can also impact your heart and brain.
How do doctors find and treat VIPoma?
Because VIPomas are so rare, doctors need to do special tests to find them. Once a VIPoma is found, there are ways to help people feel better and even make the growth go away.
Helping the symptoms
Doctors can use a medicine called Octreotide to help with the symptoms caused by the VIPoma. This medicine is similar to a natural chemical in your body called somatostatin. It helps to control the amount of VIP being made, which can make people feel much better.
Making it go away
The only way to completely get rid of a VIPoma is through surgery. During surgery, doctors carefully remove the growth from the pancreas. This can stop the body from making too much VIP and help the person get healthy again.
See also
In Spanish: VIPoma para niños
