SMA Syndrome news articles
Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome is rare, but it has appeared in some recent headlines. We’ve compiled SMA Syndrome news articles onto this page. If you have any to add, please submit using the form at the bottom of this page.
Note: In some of these SMA Syndrome news articles, Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome is referred to as “Wilkie’s Syndrome.”
Austin surgeon gives teen a second chance to eat — and live without pain
October 23, 2025
For years, Cadaence struggled with digestion, diarrhea and constipation, but doctors couldn’t pinpoint the cause. Two years ago, after a growth spurt, her symptoms worsened: She felt full after a few bites, developed severe acid reflux, constant stomach pain, and had trouble swallowing. Sometimes, she would go weeks without a bowel movement. She was 4-foot-11 and weighed just 58 pounds — about the weight of an 8-year-old.
Al-Sabah Hospital surgeon performs rare operation
October 15, 2025
Dr Mohammed Al-Suleimi, consultant bariatric surgeon at Al-Sabah Hospital, announced on Wednesday the successful treatment of a rare medical condition, superior mesenteric artery syndrome, which affects only 0.1 percent of the global population. The operation was performed using a surgical endoscope and involved a laparoscopic duodenojejunostomy, a procedure that reroutes the third part of the duodenum.
Teen was told the crippling stomach pain she suffered was in her head – it wasn’t
July 7, 2025
A leading vascular surgeon is angry and frustrated that patients like Amelia Turner are told their symptoms are eating disorders before a correct diagnosis is made. He says the collateral damage of not being believed is far-reaching.
For Coloradans on Medicaid, the ‘beautiful’ bill brings more worry
August 11, 2025
In 2019, Jesse Ramsey developed severe stomach aches. Bouts of nausea, cramps and digestive issues had him calling out of work — a rarity for Ramsey, who touts a strong work ethic — first monthly, then weekly, then almost every day.
He started seeing specialists in 2019. Doctors diagnosed Ramsey, 39, with Superior Mesenteric Artery syndrome in April of last year. SMA is a rare gastrointestinal disorder where a section of the small intestine becomes compressed between the abdominal aorta and the superior mesenteric artery. The compression can result in various digestive issues and can be fatal.
Woman, 25, who thought she was bloated now ‘starving to death’
August 4, 2025
A young woman is “starving to death” due to a fatal vascular condition that she initially mistook as bloating. Charlotte Kent, 25, is bedridden after a five-year-long “fight” with superior mesenteric artery syndrome (SMA) – a condition that means a blockage in one of her major arteries is crushing her intestine.
The formerly “outgoing, active” student thought she had bloating from excessive training – but her symptoms gradually worsened over five years, leading to significant weight loss and the inability to keep food down. She had to give up her dreams of becoming a police officer after she was left with numerous bowel obstructions, continuous vomiting and a nasogastric (NG) tube for nutrition.
KGMU docs treat teen boy with rare tummy disorder
July 22, 2025
Lucknow: A 14-year-old boy from a rural area in eastern UP, suffering from a rare and painful stomach disorder, was successfully treated at KGMU.
The boy was diagnosed with superior mesenteric artery (SMA) syndrome, also known as Wilkie’s syndrome. In this condition, part of the small intestine, called the duodenum, gets squeezed between two major blood vessels — the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery. This causes severe stomach pain, weight loss, and a fear of eating.
Scots woman makes desperate bid to get US treatment after life ‘ripped away’
June 24, 2025
A young Scots woman suffering from a devastating condition has launched a desperate bid for a life-changing US treatment after having her “life ripped away”.
Becca Finlay, from Gilmerton in Edinburgh, was diagnosed with Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (SMAS) in 2019 while she was studying nursing at the University of Glasgow. The condition is a rare, gastrointestinal disorder that carries a staggering 33 per cent mortality rate if left untreated.
Mystery illness nearly takes teen out of the spotlight
May 6, 2025
Seventeen-year-old Aubri Strutz knows this is exactly where she belongs — right in the spotlight!
“I played Maria in Sound of Music and that was just phenomenal. I loved that so much. That was in the middle of all my health issues too, and it was just like a dream role in the middle of really hard,” she recalled.
That “really hard” started when Aubri started having severe gastrointestinal issues.
The long road to answers for some chronic illnesses
April 22, 2025
Samantha Balombiny knew something was not right. She had suffered from chronic illnesses since she was 12-years-old. It started when she began experiencing pain along with vomiting every day.
“Some of those things as a kid, I don’t know if I would have recognized they were abnormal, but as I grew older and I realized that it wasn’t something everybody else experienced,” Balombiny said.
‘I definitely could have died’: Lacina battled SMAS with softball as her anchor
April 16, 2025
At first, it looked like shortstop Audrey Lacina was just out sick with a stomach bug. But what held her out went far deeper – so deep that it nearly killed her a couple of years ago.
“I couldn’t take a sip of water,” Lacina said. “Think of a plastic water cap, if you filled that with water, if I tried to sip it, it would not stay down. I definitely could have died.”
Doctors told Chelsea she had an eating disorder and force-fed her for a year. Now, she finally has a diagnosis
March 27, 2025
Chelsea Bagnall has lived with excruciating pain for almost as long as she can remember.
As a child, she was sick on and off with urinary infections, bouts of vomiting and bowel issues.
Four years ago, when she was 15 years old, Chelsea’s health took a sudden and scary nose dive.
The bouts of vomiting became a daily occurrence and she began experiencing fainting spells. Chelsea’s weight plummeted to 40 kilograms, while her body mass index (BMI) was sitting at just 13.
‘You have to keep fighting’: Hartford woman fights for her life against two rare diseases
February 14, 2025
Kristina Krassman is battling two diseases that cause extreme pain in her stomach and abdomen when she tries to eat.
She was one of dozens of people who showed up to share their stories at Let’s Talk: Washington County in West Bend.
Estevan rallies behind 13-year-old battling rare illness
February 5, 2025
ESTEVAN – The community of Estevan came together in an extraordinary show of support for 13-year-old Elizabeth Trepanier, raising thousands of dollars at a Feb. 1 fundraiser at the Wylie-Mitchell Hall.
Elizabeth has been battling Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (SMAS) since 2022, a rare and debilitating gastrointestinal disorder that has left her in chronic pain, severely impacted her quality of life and is a serious life-threatening condition.
One surgery tackled the double trouble of nutcracker syndrome and superior mesenteric artery syndrome
February 3, 2025
The superior mesenteric artery (SMA) generally serves us well, sustaining much of the digestive tract that converts what we eat into the fuels our bodies run on. On rare occasions, though, the SMA can have a dark side. Blame an anatomical quirk that Andrea Fisch got to know all too well.
Hayley Bailey: A South African’s 17-Year Fight for Life and Hope
December 23, 2024
17 years, 17 surgeries, and countless battles later, Hayley Bailey stands not as a victim of her circumstances but as a warrior, defying every odd life has thrown at her with courage, hope, and an unbreakable spirit.
Mumbai Medical Miracle: 60-Year-Old Bangladeshi Patient With Rare Intestinal Disorder Successfully Treated At Ghatkopar Hospital
December 10, 2024
A team led by Dr Hemant Patel, (General And Laparoscopic Surgeon), Physician Dr Urvi Maheshwari, and Intensivist Dr Neha Patil at Zynova Shalby Hospital successfully treated the 60-year-old Bangladeshi man with the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) thrombosis- a rare disease that involves small intestines.
Lviv doctors save 6-year-old girl from rare disease that prevented her from eating
November 6, 2024
Doctors diagnosed 6-year-old Polina Bidyuk from Starokostyantyniv, Ukraine, with rare Wilkie syndrome, a condition that affects one in a thousand people and prevented her from eating, the First Medical Association of Lviv reported on Nov. 6.
Seanna looks at food differently after over R200k surgery for a rare syndrome
September 21, 2024
The Fourways community raised over R200,000 to bring Dr Domingo Alvear to South Africa to perform his pioneering surgery on a teen who couldnt eat without severe pain.
Texas teen shares battle with rare digestive condition
July 13, 2024
Camilla Latshaw loves food, but she can’t enjoy a normal meal like most people.
“I’ve cried because I want to eat so bad,” Camilla said.
She says her family and doctors knew something was wrong ever since she was a baby.
Sick Falkirk teen heads to Germany for £90k illness ‘cure’
June 25, 2024
A Scots teen with a rare and potentially fatal condition which causes excruciating pain when she eats is heading to Germany for a £90,000 surgery which could finally cure her.
Emma Noble, 17, was diagnosed with multiple disorders including Wilkie’s Syndrome – where part of the blood supply to small intestine is obstructed – after visiting a world-renowned specialist in Leipzig earlier this year.
Nagoya hospital error results in high school student’s death
June 18, 2024
A medical error resulted in the death of a high school student at the Japanese Red Cross Aichi Medical Center Nagoya Daini Hospital, the institution revealed Monday…
…The hospital revealed that the student was later found to have suffered from superior mesenteric artery syndrome (SMA syndrome), which causes a narrowing of the duodenum that leads to intestinal obstruction and gastric dilation.
Timely intervention, such as decompression via the insertion of a gastric tube, could have potentially saved the student’s life, the hospital said.
Roscommon woman, 23, suffers for six years with rare stomach condition
May 11, 2024
Roscommon native Amy McNeill has been suffering from a set of rare stomach conditions for the past six years of her life.
The now 23-year-old was 17- years-old when she first started noticing symptoms of her illness, but after a number of operations, the young woman and her family still hadn’t received a proper diagnosis.
Amy eventually had to travel abroad to Germany to seek treatment for her conditions, which had significantly altered her life.
Joburg girl’s mealtime agony: ‘It’s like a heart attack in her belly when she eats’
April 30, 2024
Every bite of food, no matter how big or small, causes excruciating pain for Seanna Potgieter.
Every time she eats she needs to take pain medication to try to make meals bearable.
The thirteen-year-old from Johannesburg has been diagnosed with superior mecentric artery (SMA) syndrome, also known as Wilkie’s syndrome, and she can’t remember not being in pain when she eats.
Woman diagnosed with rare disease her doctors had never heard of
April 8, 2024
When Sydney woman Ruby Munsie lost her voice multiple times in a year, she didn’t think much of it.
But the 29-year-old was suffering from a rare disease – and losing your voice is a common among symptom for sufferers.
Ms. Munsie suffers from Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (SMAS), it occurs when the small intestine is compressed between two arteries causing a partial blockage – making it incredibly painful to eat.
The condition affects less than 0.3 per cent of the world’s population.
Zach Bryan gifts Germantown teen guitar
March 22, 2024
Teen Megan Pederson uses the moment to spread awareness about her life-changing illness. As a high-schooler, doctors diagnosed her with superior mesenteric artery syndrome.
Baylor surgeon treats rare condition
November 22, 2023
Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (SMAS) might not be as well-known as other medical conditions, but it can significantly impact a person’s quality of life.
SMAS is a rare but severe disorder when the third part of the duodenum (the small intestine) is squished between the abdominal aorta and the superior mesenteric artery. This compression leads to various gastrointestinal symptoms and can result in severe malnutrition if left untreated.
Insurance coverage battle leaves patient in surgery limbo
January 30, 2023
Brittany Atkinson suffers from three rare vascular compression syndromes. Median arcuate ligament syndrome. Superior mesenteric artery syndrome. Renal nutcracker syndrome and needs life-saving surgery.
Woman wants to raise awareness of rare disorder
January 13, 2023
Brantford resident Jayme Jones-Blue, who has superior mesenteric artery syndrome, a rare gastro-vascular disorder, is raising awareness about the little-known disorder.
Disabled Cotswold woman’s dream wedding after she nearly died
November 5, 2022
Even with living with a rare condition which leaves her bedridden, Rebecca Turton released a book too
Gloucestershire woman writes book on the rare condition that nearly killed her
April 28, 2022
Bedbound Rebecca Bostock has found solace from her life-threatening illness in her writing, which she hopes will help others.
Woman left in excruciating pain for 16 months by mystery condition
April 16, 2021
A woman was left in “excruciating” pain for 16 months after developing a rare medical condition that left doctors puzzled.
Rebecca Bostock’s stomach began to swell in January 2020, and she struggled to keep down food.
Over the next year and a half, she began a downward spiral, experiencing fever, sickness, diarrhoea and dizziness.
Doctors thought she was suffering from endometriosis or irritable bowel syndrome.
It was only after she was rushed to hospital on Good Friday, struggling to breathe from the swelling, that they realised she was suffering from Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (SMAS).
Kiwi woman forced to fly to Germany for life-changing surgery after New Zealand doctors continually dismiss excruciating condition
August 14, 2022
Being able to eat and drink is a daily thing the majority of people take for granted. But for one Kiwi woman, they’re tasks that up until a recent operation caused her excruciating pain.
Sarah Wills, 20, spent nearly a decade trying to get a diagnosis and help for her misunderstood condition.
8-Year-Old With 4 Chronic Illnesses Struggles To Eat, Hopes To Visit Disneyland & Enjoy Macs Again
June 26, 2022
Since Tammie was in primary school, signs of her illnesses started popping up. She remembers facing stomach problems, which led to her being “in and out of the hospital from Primary 4”.
Indigenous woman’s screams for help before her death were ‘excruciating’, fellow inmate tells inquest
May 10, 2022
Veronica Nelson died in a Melbourne jail in early 2020 and a woman who was in a nearby cell has told an inquest authorities ‘let her die.’
An autopsy found Nelson, a Yorta Yorta woman, suffered complications from Wilkie’s syndrome, a rare condition characterised by abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. The court has heard the complications were in a setting of withdrawal from heroin.
Patients around the world seek out Ocala surgeon for procedure that treats rare disease [Archive]
March 30, 2022
If Heidi Moore ever has children, she says their middle names will be “Darwin” and “Ang.” That’s because a surgery invented and performed by Ocala’s Dr. Darwin Ang has made this a possibility for Moore, as well as other seemingly simple realities, like eating solid food.
Moore has a rare disease called Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (SMAS), which affects 0.013% of the population by some estimates. The consequences are severe and eventually fatal if not resolved.
Ang, the trauma medical director at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, hopes his findings will raise awareness about SMAS and save lives too.
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Kristina Bayus, of Hubbard, shares struggle with rare disorders
April 27, 2022
Details of celebration of life for Nicolette Baker in Porthleven
April 23, 2022
Friends of a woman who died just days before potentially lifesaving surgery have been invited to share their stories at a celebration of her life.
The 3stone woman who is starving to DEATH: Doctors wrongly branded 36-year-old anorexic… only to discover rare stomach condition was to blame for her ‘lifetime of sickness’ (now her only hope is a £50,000 op in Germany)
February 8, 2022
Nicolette Baker, from Cornwall, started complaining about stomach pain after eating when she was just four and began to skip meals.
Doctors diagnosed the now 36-year-old as anorexic, leading to her to undergo more than two decades of ‘traumatic’ treatments. It included force-feeding and being sent away to specialist clinics for months at a time.
But in 2015, Ms. Baker was then told she had superior mesenteric arterial syndrome (SMAS).
The condition is rare — affecting as few as one in 10,000 people — and leads to pain and nausea shortly after eating. It is caused by part of the small intestine being compressed by two arteries, blocking.
A mystery illness and one woman’s decade-long fight against misdiagnosis
July 26, 2019
It took Eser Toprak over a decade to find out what was wrong with her, as her body slowly withered away and she pleaded with doctors to look outside their narrow diagnosis.
When an Eating Disorder Is Not an Eating Disorder
November 7, 2017
For 16-year-old Gabrielle Risby, a student-athlete from Antioch, Tennessee, the symptoms that led her to Johns Hopkins Children’s Center were fatigue and nausea at basketball practice and emesis whenever she ate the slightest thing.
