&lt;h1 data-start=&quot;280&quot; data-end=&quot;321&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff99cc;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What Is Carcinoid Syndrome?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p data-start=&quot;323&quot; data-end=&quot;422&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Let&amp;rsquo;s talk about a condition with a bit of a tongue-twisty name but a pretty straightforward story.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p data-start=&quot;424&quot; data-end=&quot;817&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Your body has a built-in messaging system. Some cells send out &lt;strong data-start=&quot;487&quot; data-end=&quot;499&quot;&gt;hormones&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;mdash; chemical messengers that tell other parts of your body what to do. Certain rare tumors called &lt;strong data-start=&quot;596&quot; data-end=&quot;616&quot;&gt;carcinoid tumors&lt;/strong&gt; can go a step further and start making too many of these messengers. When that happens, the extra hormones can spill into your bloodstream and cause a group of symptoms we call &lt;strong data-start=&quot;794&quot; data-end=&quot;816&quot;&gt;carcinoid syndrome&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p data-start=&quot;819&quot; data-end=&quot;960&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #cc99ff;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Think of it like this:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; your body&amp;rsquo;s message system got a little too chatty &amp;mdash; sending more signals than needed &amp;mdash; and your body starts reacting.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p data-start=&quot;962&quot; data-end=&quot;1238&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Carcinoid syndrome most often happens when a carcinoid tumor from the &lt;strong data-start=&quot;1032&quot; data-end=&quot;1052&quot;&gt;digestive system&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong data-start=&quot;1056&quot; data-end=&quot;1065&quot;&gt;lungs&lt;/strong&gt; spreads (metastasizes) to the &lt;strong data-start=&quot;1096&quot; data-end=&quot;1105&quot;&gt;liver&lt;/strong&gt;. The liver normally helps break down these hormones, but once it&amp;rsquo;s overwhelmed, the extra hormones can circulate all over your body.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p data-start=&quot;962&quot; data-end=&quot;1238&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 data-start=&quot;1245&quot; data-end=&quot;1267&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff99cc;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Who Can Get It?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p data-start=&quot;1269&quot; data-end=&quot;1524&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Carcinoid syndrome is rare, and most people with carcinoid tumors don&amp;rsquo;t develop the syndrome. But when the hormones get into the bloodstream in higher amounts &amp;mdash; especially if the liver isn&amp;rsquo;t able to break them down &amp;mdash; that&amp;rsquo;s when symptoms start showing up.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 data-start=&quot;1526&quot; data-end=&quot;1542&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #cc99ff;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;In simple terms:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li data-start=&quot;1545&quot; data-end=&quot;1592&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;You have a carcinoid tumor (often slow-growing)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li data-start=&quot;1595&quot; data-end=&quot;1618&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;It makes extra hormones&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li data-start=&quot;1621&quot; data-end=&quot;1658&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Those hormones zip through your blood&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li data-start=&quot;1661&quot; data-end=&quot;1691&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Your body reacts with symptoms&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p data-start=&quot;1693&quot; data-end=&quot;1815&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Not every carcinoid tumor causes syndrome, but when it does, the effects are noticeable &amp;mdash; and we&amp;rsquo;ll talk about those next!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p data-start=&quot;1693&quot; data-end=&quot;1815&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h1 data-start=&quot;1822&quot; data-end=&quot;1871&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff99cc;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Symptoms, Causes &amp;amp; When to Get Help&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;h3 data-start=&quot;1873&quot; data-end=&quot;1895&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff99cc;&quot;&gt;Common Symptoms&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Carcinoid syndrome can feel like a cluster of signals your body sends out when it&amp;rsquo;s trying to tell you that something isn&amp;rsquo;t quite balanced. These can include:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li data-start=&quot;2059&quot; data-end=&quot;2125&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong data-start=&quot;2059&quot; data-end=&quot;2071&quot;&gt;Flushing&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;mdash; your face feels warm and turns pink or red suddenly&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li data-start=&quot;2128&quot; data-end=&quot;2192&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong data-start=&quot;2128&quot; data-end=&quot;2140&quot;&gt;Diarrhea&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;mdash; frequent, loose bowel movements unrelated to diet&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li data-start=&quot;2195&quot; data-end=&quot;2252&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong data-start=&quot;2195&quot; data-end=&quot;2207&quot;&gt;Wheezing&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;mdash; kind of like asthma-type breathing trouble&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li data-start=&quot;2255&quot; data-end=&quot;2326&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong data-start=&quot;2255&quot; data-end=&quot;2290&quot;&gt;Fast heart rate or palpitations&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;mdash; your heart feels like it&amp;rsquo;s racing&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li data-start=&quot;2329&quot; data-end=&quot;2365&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong data-start=&quot;2329&quot; data-end=&quot;2365&quot;&gt;Abdominal cramping or discomfort&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p data-start=&quot;2367&quot; data-end=&quot;2524&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Not everyone gets all these symptoms, and they can come and go &amp;mdash; sometimes without warning. That&amp;rsquo;s part of what makes carcinoid syndrome tricky to recognize.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p data-start=&quot;2367&quot; data-end=&quot;2524&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 data-start=&quot;2531&quot; data-end=&quot;2563&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff99cc;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why These Symptoms Happen&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p data-start=&quot;2565&quot; data-end=&quot;2864&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Those extra hormones we mentioned earlier &amp;mdash; like &lt;strong data-start=&quot;2614&quot; data-end=&quot;2627&quot;&gt;serotonin&lt;/strong&gt; and others &amp;mdash; can affect your blood vessels, gut motility (how fast things move through your system), and even your heart. When they&amp;rsquo;re circulating freely in the bloodstream, your body reacts in ways that show up as those symptoms above.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p data-start=&quot;2866&quot; data-end=&quot;2997&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;In other words, your body&amp;rsquo;s message system is firing too many signals at once &amp;mdash; and your organs start responding in different ways.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p data-start=&quot;2866&quot; data-end=&quot;2997&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 data-start=&quot;3004&quot; data-end=&quot;3040&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff99cc;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;When Should You See a Doctor?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;h4 data-start=&quot;3042&quot; data-end=&quot;3102&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #cc99ff;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You should reach out to a healthcare provider if you notice:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li data-start=&quot;3106&quot; data-end=&quot;3153&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Flushing that comes on without a clear reason&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li data-start=&quot;3156&quot; data-end=&quot;3192&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Persistent or unexplained diarrhea&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li data-start=&quot;3195&quot; data-end=&quot;3228&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Wheezing or shortness of breath&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li data-start=&quot;3231&quot; data-end=&quot;3264&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Heart palpitations you can feel&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li data-start=&quot;3267&quot; data-end=&quot;3315&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Symptoms that keep returning or don&amp;rsquo;t make sense&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p data-start=&quot;3317&quot; data-end=&quot;3526&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;All of these might be signs of something more benign &amp;mdash; but it&amp;rsquo;s always best to check. Early evaluation helps you and your care team understand what&amp;rsquo;s going on and decide if any testing or monitoring is needed.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p data-start=&quot;3317&quot; data-end=&quot;3526&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 data-start=&quot;3533&quot; data-end=&quot;3553&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #ff99cc;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Friendly Tip&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;p data-start=&quot;3555&quot; data-end=&quot;3754&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #99ccff;&quot;&gt;Carcinoid syndrome is unusual and not something you need to worry about daily &amp;mdash; but paying attention to persistent or unexplained symptoms is a smart move. When your body talks, it&amp;rsquo;s worth listening.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p data-start=&quot;3555&quot; data-end=&quot;3754&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

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