What is Gastroparesis?

 ​Gastroparesis is a disorder that occurs when the stomach takes too long to empty food.  This disorder leads to various symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, feeling full, and slow stomach emptying, known as delayed gastric emptying.  Gastroparesis can be due to a variety of issues.  But, people with diabetes are at an increased risk.  

What is Gastroparesis?
By Pierre Mouchette | Bits-n-Pieces

​Gastroparesis is a disorder that occurs when the stomach takes too long to empty food.  This disorder leads to various symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, feeling full, and slow stomach emptying, known as delayed gastric emptying.  Gastroparesis can be due to a variety of issues.  But, people with diabetes are at an increased risk. 
 
Most types of gastroparesis fit into one of three categories:

• Idiopathic or unknown:  Nearly 36 percent of gastroparesis cases are unrelated to an identifiable cause.  It is known as idiopathic.  This condition often occurs after a viral illness but is not fully understood.
• Diabetes-related:  A common cause of damage to the nervous system that affects digestion is diabetes, specifically diabetes that is not well-controlled.  It is because high blood sugar can damage nerves over time, including the vagus nerve, which controls the movement of food through the digestive system.  Maintaining healthy blood sugar levels by changing your diet and lifestyle is an effective way to help control symptoms of gastroparesis for people with diabetes.
• Postsurgical:  Surgeries involving the stomach or other digestive organs can change signals to the stomach.  Here, about 13 percent of people with gastroparesis have the type known as postsurgical.

 
What causes gastroparesis?
While the exact cause of gastroparesis is unknown, it is thought to have something to do with disrupted nerve signals in the stomach, leading to the belief that food can move through too slowly when the nerves in the stomach become affected by various factors.  Other problems, such as the stomach being overly sensitive to signals from the nervous system and the stomach not being able to react to a meal, are also believed to have a role in this condition.
 
How does gastroparesis affect health and quality of life?
Many people with gastroparesis feel uncomfortable, have severe nausea, or vomit after eating.  These symptoms can be devastating to some patients.  Most people with gastroparesis tend to consume fewer nutrients than they need.  So, gastroparesis can markedly impair a person's quality of life.
 
 
There is no known cure for gastroparesis, but medical treatment can help manage the symptoms.  The TSI DIGITAL DIGEST is researching gastroparesis, with information to be available in a future ARTICLE.