Q: How serious is gastroparesis? What can I do for it? – J.M.
A: Gastroparesis is a condition in which the spontaneous movement of the muscles in your stomach does not function normally.
Ordinarily, strong muscular contractions propel food through your digestive tract. But in gastroparesis, your stomach’s motility works poorly or not at all. This prevents your stomach from emptying properly. Gastroparesis can interfere with normal digestion, cause nausea and vomiting, and cause problems with blood sugar levels and nutrition.
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The cause of gastroparesis is usually unknown. When this is the case, it’s called idiopathic gastroparesis (IG). When people who have diabetes develop gastroparesis, it’s called diabetic gastroparesis (DG). Some people develop gastroparesis after surgery.
There is no cure for gastroparesis, but changes to your diet, along with medication, can offer some relief.
Gastroparesis can cause several complications, such as:
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Severe dehydration. Ongoing vomiting can cause dehydration.
Malnutrition. Poor appetite can mean you don’t take in enough calories, or you may be unable absorb enough nutrients due to vomiting.
Undigested food that hardens and remains in your stomach. Undigested food in your stomach can harden into a solid mass called a bezoar. Bezoars can cause nausea and vomiting and may be life-threatening if they prevent food from passing into your small intestine.
Blood sugar fluctuations. Although gastroparesis doesn’t cause diabetes, inconsistent passage of food into the small bowel can cause erratic changes in blood sugar levels, which make diabetes worse. In turn, poor control of blood sugar levels makes gastroparesis worse.
Decreased quality of life. Acute flare-up of symptoms can make it difficult to work.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ‘Ask Dr. Renee’. Follow me on Twitter @AskDrRenee and on my website.
