A Case of Idiopathic Postprandial Syndrome in a Middle-Aged Nigerian Woman

Damilola A. Jesuyajolu^1, , Abdulhafeez Mohammed², Charles Okeke³ and Armstrong Nicholas⁴

¹Department of Surgery, First Graceland Hospitals, Lagos, Nigeria

²Department Medicine, Top Medics Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria

³Department Medicine, EYN Primary Healthcare Center, Adamawa

⁴Department of Gynaecology, Umaru Shehu Ultramodern Hospital, Maiduguri

Cite this paper

Damilola A. Jesuyajolu, Abdulhafeez Mohammed, Charles Okeke and Armstrong Nicholas. A Case of Idiopathic Postprandial Syndrome in a Middle-Aged Nigerian Woman. American Journal of Medical Case Reports. 2022; 10(2):42-44. doi: 10.12691/AJMCR-10-2-6

Abstract

Not much has been reported about Idiopathic Postprandial syndrome, especially in Africa. Many cases are often wrongly diagnosed as reactive hypoglycemia. Idiopathic postprandial syndrome refers to signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia in the absence of low blood sugar occurring after meals and is of unknown cause. We report a case of Idiopathic Postprandial Syndrome in a 44-year old woman living in Nigeria. We present a 44-year-old woman who has been having recurrent hypoglycemic symptoms, which include dizziness, body weakness, lightheadedness, restlessness, headaches, and fatigue after she eats a meal (Post-prandial) for a year. Blood glucose is normal during episodes, and extensive examinations and investigations yielded no other cause. Idiopathic postprandial syndrome (IPS) is a condition in which an individual experiences symptoms of hypoglycemia without having biochemical evidence. The major difference between idiopathic postprandial syndrome (IPS) and hypoglycemia is that IPS may present with only symptoms of low blood sugar without the other components of Whipple’s triad. These symptoms usually occur within a few hours of eating and the exact cause is not known. Managing the possible identified triggers, dietary modification and the use of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors have been seen to improve the condition. Much work still needs to be done to identify the exact etiology of the syndrome.

Keywords

postprandial syndrome, hypoglycemia, idiopathic postprandial, adrenergic symptoms, Whipple’s triad

Copyright

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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