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Kansas City's Premiere Digestive Health Specialists
Request An Appointment
816-836-2200
Kansas City's Premiere Digestive Health Specialists
Gastroparesis is a condition that forms in the stomach; the organ that begins the process of digesting food.
Gastroparesis happens when stomach muscles are unable to contract and push food through to the small intestine. This causes the digestion process to stop or dramatically slow down. When digestion slows, many complications tend to arise.
Muscles in the stomach contract by the vagus nerve. The main cause of gastroparesis is when the vagus nerve is not working properly.
The vagus nerve can act in disfunction for many reasons causing gastroparesis. The most common causes for gastroparesis is suffering from Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Additionally, other factors such as having stomach surgery or battling an eating disorder can cause gastroparesis.
Many people may suffer from gastroparesis but may mistake it for another condition. Because symptoms of gastroparesis can be very similar to other gastrointestinal problems it is often not diagnosed correctly.
Symptoms of gastroparesis include:
If not treated promptly symptoms caused by gastroparesis can lead to serious medical complications. Because the stomach is unable to push food through to the small intestine undigested food may stay in the stomach causing vomiting to occur and increase the risk for bacteria to grow in the stomach.
Water and nutrients are also lost when food does not make its way into the small intestines. Severe weight-loss can easily arise if gastroparesis is not treated.
Although there is no cure for gastroparesesis, it is still very treatable. Diagnosing it is the first step in properly handling the symptoms.
At Midwest Gastroenterology to determine if stomach blockage is caused by gastroparesis we perform a endoscopy (EGD). After getting an in-depth look at the stomach, a treatment plan is put together.
It is uncertain to define the exact causes of gastroparesis. Those who are most at risk for gastroparesis are people with a history of digestive issues, eating disorders and people with diabetes.
Though usually not life-threatening, gastroparesis can be very dangerous especially for people who are also suffering from diabetes. Because gastroparesis causes dramatic shifts in blood sugar levels, those who have diabetes need to take extra precautions if experiencing symptoms of gastroparesis.
