Gastroparesis: Causes, risk factors and prevention
Gastroparesis: Causes, risk factors and prevention
Gastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, is a disorder in which it takes too long for the stomach to empty its contents. A healthy stomach’s strong muscular contractions are pushing food on its long and convoluted journey through digestive tract. In people with Gastroparesis however, the muscles in the stomach wall work poorly or not at all, preventing the stomach from emptying properly.
No available treatments can cure gastroparesis yet but fortunately some dietary changes and certain medications sometimes help control the symptoms.
Stomach anatomy and physiology
The stomach is a hollow organ composed primarily of muscle whose role is to storage food. It consists of two parts:
• The upper portion is called the fundus which is where swallowed food and liquid collect.
• The lower portion is called the antrum. This is the stomach grinder.
In healthy individuals the food in the stomach is ground into tiny pieces by the constant churning that is generated by the contractions of the stomach’s muscles. After that it is slowly emptied from the stomach into the intestine. Only food which is ground into small particles can be emptied from the stomach because smaller particles are much better digested in the intestine. The ground food coming from the stomach is being well-mixed with the digestive juices of the intestine, pancreas, and liver (bile) and is easily absorbed from the intestine.
It is clear that, when the stomach’s muscles are paralyzed, food is not thoroughly ground and does not empty into the intestine properly. The condition may cause the delayed emptying of solid food, solid and liquid food, or liquid food alone.
Symptoms of gastroparesis
Nausea and vomiting are considered to be the most common signs and symptoms of gastroparesis. Vomiting usually occurs several hours after eating. Sometimes, accumulated stomach enzymes and acids can cause vomiting even if you don't eat.
In addition to nausea and vomiting, gastroparesis often causes:
• A feeling of fullness after just a few bites
• Abdominal bloating
• Heartburn or gastro-esophageal reflux
• Changes in blood sugar levels
• Lack of appetite
• Weight loss and malnutrition
Causes of gastroparesis
Most of the people do not know that this condition is actually caused by the most important nerve in the body called the vagus nerve.
It helps organizing the complex signals in the digestive tract, including signaling the smooth muscles in the stomach to contract in peristaltic waves. It is easily understood that the damage to the vagus nerve can be the leading cause of gastroparesis, although the disorder can also result from damage to the stomach muscles themselves.
Other possible causes are:
• Diabetes
The most common cause of gastroparesis is definitely type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The explanation for this is that over time, high blood glucose levels and their metabolic effects are damaging the vagus nerve and disrupt its normal functioning.
• Surgery
It is proven that all the operations which involve the esophagus, the stomach or the upper part of the small intestine can injure the vagus nerve and lead to gastroparesis.
• Medications
A lot of commonly prescribed drugs slow stomach emptying and these include:
• narcotic pain medications,
• tricyclic antidepressants and
• calcium channel blockers
• antacids that contain aluminum hydroxide,
• some high blood pressure medications and
• the psychiatric drug lithium
May 19, 2006
by SirGan
SteadyHealth.com
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