| [ Summary ] |
The watery diarrhea, hypokalemia and achlorhydria (WDHA) syndrome is a clinical entity, in which profuse watery diarrhea, hypokalemia and either achlorydia or hypochlorhydria are induced by the overproduction of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a brain-gut peptide with potent biological activity stimulating vasodilatation and intestinal secretion. The tumors responsible for this morbid condition are divided into two categories;in adults, the major causes are pancreatic endocrine tumors and, in children, neuroblastic tumors including ganglioneuroblastoma, ganglioneuroma and neuroblastoma. Severe watery diarrhea in WDHA patients leads to serious water and electrolytes imbalances, which in turn threaten the patient's life. |