Gastroparesis

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Gastroparesis is a serious condition that can make eating uncomfortable or lead to malnutrition. It can be difficult to diagnose. Fortunately, at Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic, our experts can help you learn to manage this chronic condition.

What is gastroparesis?

Gastroparesis, also known as delayed gastric emptying, is the slowing of food from the stomach to the small intestine. This happens when the vagus nerve is damaged by illness or injury.

What causes gastroparesis?

Most people diagnosed with gastroparesis have idiopathic gastroparesis, meaning a health care provider cannot identify the cause, even with medical tests. Damage to the vagus nerve can lead to gastroparesis, particularly as a product of prolonged high blood glucose levels. For this reason, diabetes is the most common known cause of gastroparesis.

Other causes may include intestinal surgery and diseases of the nervous system, like multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease.

What are the symptoms of gastroparesis?

Gastroparesis can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms resemble those of other diseases. The symptoms of gastroparesis may vary in intensity over time in the same individual, and they may occur frequently in some people and less often in others.

Common symptoms include:

Abdominal bloating
Gastroesophageal reflux or acid reflux
Lack of appetite
Stomach pain

Symptoms may be aggravated by eating greasy or rich foods, large quantities of foods with fiber, or drinking beverages high in fat or carbonation.

How to diagnose gastroparesis

Gastroparesis is diagnosed through a physical exam, medical history, blood tests, tests to rule out blockage or structural problems in the GI tract and gastric-emptying tests. Tests may also identify a nutritional disorder or underlying disease.

An upper GI endoscopy involves using a small, flexible tube with a light, called an endoscope, to see the upper GI tract, including the esophagus, stomach and duodenum.

The test may show blockage or solid collections of food, mucus, vegetable fiber, hair or other material that cannot be digested in the stomach.

An upper GI series is performed at a hospital or outpatient center by an X-ray technician, and the images are interpreted by a radiologist. Gastroparesis is likely if the X-ray shows food in the stomach after fasting.

Ultrasound images can show whether gallbladder disease and pancreatitis could be the cause of a person’s digestive symptoms rather than gastroparesis.

Gastric emptying scintigraphy involves eating a bland meal containing a small amount of radioactive material. An external camera scans the abdomen to show where the radioactive material is located.

The SmartPill is a small electronic device in capsule form. The device is swallowed and moves through the entire digestive tract, sending information to a cell-phone-sized receiver worn around the person’s waist or neck. The recorded information provides a detailed record of how quickly food travels through each part of the digestive tract.

With the gastric emptying breath test, the person eats a special test meal that includes a natural material with a special type of carbon in it. Then, breath samples are taken over a period of several hours to measure the amount of the material in the exhaled breath. The results allow the health care provider to calculate how fast the stomach is emptying.

Gastroparesis risk factors

Possible problems caused by gastroparesis can include:

Decreased quality of life
Difficulty managing blood glucose levels
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Malnutrition
Severe dehydration

Gastroparesis treatment

Treatment of gastroparesis depends on the severity of symptoms. In most cases, treatment does not cure gastroparesis, which is usually a chronic condition. Gastroparesis is also a relapsing condition, meaning symptoms can come and go for periods of time. At Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic, we can help you manage your condition so you can be as comfortable and active as possible.