Carcinoid syndrome history and symptoms
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Patients with carcinoid syndrome may present with a history of flushing of the skin, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, tricuspid insufficency, pulmonic stenosis, and bronchoconstriction.
Symptoms
Most carcinoids are asymptomatic through the natural lifetime and are discovered only upon surgery for unrelated reasons; these are called coincidental carcinoids. But all carcinoids are considered to have malignant potential.
About 10 percent of carcinoids secrete excessive levels of a range of hormones, most notably serotonin (5-HT), causing:
This constellation of symptoms is called carcinoid syndrome or (if acute) carcinoid crisis. Occasionally, haemorrhage or the effects of tumour bulk are the presenting symptoms. The most common originating sites of carcinoid is the small bowel, particularly the ileum; carcinoid tumors are the most common malignancy of the appendix, and ovarian origin, though reported, is rare.