In a normally functioning stomach, once a meal is consumed the process of breaking down the different components of the meal, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and sugars begins. Each of these elements take a different amount of time to digest or be absorbed into the system. The average human stomach will empty into the intestines after 52–71 minutes. However, if someone has gastroparesis, his stomach empties at a much slower pace.
What is Gastroparesis?
Gastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, is a condition in which the muscles that should be contacting in order to send food through a person's digestive tract are not working properly or are not working at all. If these muscles are malfunctioning, they are preventing the stomach from emptying into the intestines properly.
The vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve that runs from the brain stem through the organs of the neck, thorax, and abdomen, directs the stomach on where to move the food that is consumed through the digestive tract. Gastroparesis can also occur when the vagus nerve is damaged and the stomach muscles cease to contract – food moves at a much slower pace through the digestive tract or stops moving all together.
Symptoms of Delayed Gastric Emptying
According to the Mayo Clinic there are several signs and symptoms related to gastroparesis. Some of the symptoms include: vomiting and nausea, a feeling of fullness after eating just a few bites of food, abdominal bloating, heartburn, changes in one's blood sugar levels, having a lack of appetite, weight loss, and malnutrition.
The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC) agrees with the Mayo Clinic on their list of symptoms for gastroparesis, but also lists a few other warning signs of the condition. The NDDIC includes: pain in the upper abdomen, vomiting of undigested food (sometimes several hours after having eaten the meal), and spasms in the stomach area. The NDDIC notes that eating solid foods, raw vegetables, carbonated drinks, or foods high in fiber and fruits may cause a person's symptoms to become worse.
Diagnosing Gastroparesis
There are a handful of ways that a doctor can diagnose gastroparesis. However, because the severity of symptoms vary from patient to patient, actually diagnosing the condition can be difficult. After conducting a physical examination, the first test a patient's doctor will most likely perform is a battery of blood work to check blood counts, electrolyte and chemical levels.
Next, to rule out any kind of underlying condition or an obstruction, the doctor might perform one or more of the following: an upper endoscopy, an ultrasound scan, or a barium X-ray. If the three aforementioned tests rule out any other condition, the doctor might move forward with one of three different kinds of gastric emptying tests: gastric emptying scintigraphy, breath test, and SmartPill in order to determine whether the patient does in fact have gastroparesis.
Treatment of Gastroparesis
When treating gastroparesis one has to start with what the underlying condition is. If diabetes is what is triggering a person's gastroparesis, he needs to work with his doctor in order to get his diabetes under control so that he can begin to work on getting the gastroparesis under control. There are some medications that people can take to help with the condition as well. These include Reglan and erythromycin.
Another treatment is by changing one's diet. Seeking the advice of a dietitian and finding the right combination of foods might help a patient know what foods to eat and what to avoid.
For some patients, food will never be tolerated, so a feeding tube will be inserted into the small intestines. For others, surgery might be an option. During the surgical procedure part of the stomach is either stapled or bypassed in order to help the emptying process.
Gastroparesis is a difficult, life changing, and incurable condition. However, if a person is willing to work with his doctor, there is a way of doing all he can to combat this condition. There are medications, procedures, and surgeries that can be performed in the hopes of improving the quality of life of a person suffering from delayed gastric emptying.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a doctor for advice.
Sources
Meddean.luc.edu. “CNX. Vegus Nerve” (accessed September 27, 2010).
digestive.niddk.nih.gov. “Your Digestive System and How It Works” (accessed September 27, 2010).
Jpgmonline.com. “Assessment of Gestric Emptying by Radio-Nuclide Study” (accessed September 27, 2010).
Mayo Clinic. “Gastroparesis” (accessed September 27, 2010).
Christine Rachuy - My name is Christine Rachuy and I enjoy writing on all different subjects. I tend to write mostly about Christianity, music, photography, ...
