Gastroparesis

Introduction: Gastroparesis

Gastroparesis: Gastroparesis is a disorder in which the stomach takes too long to empty its contents. Gastroparesis is most often a complication of type 1 diabetes. At ... more about Gastroparesis.

Gastroparesis: Slow stomach emptying from stomach nerve damage. More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Gastroparesis is available below.

Symptoms of Gastroparesis

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Belching
• Feeling of fullness
• Weight loss

See full list of 12 symptoms of Gastroparesis

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Gastroparesis:

• High Cholesterol: Home Testing:
  • Home Cholesterol Tests
  • Home Triglycerides Tests
  • Home Blood Pressure Tests
• High Blood Pressure: Home Testing
  • Home Blood Pressure Monitors
  • Home Heart Tests
• Heart Health: Home Testing:
  • Heart Rate Monitors
  • Irregular Heartbeat Detection
  • Heart Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Thyroid: Home Testing:
  • Home Thyroid Function Tests
  • Home TSH Tests
  • Home Adrenal Function Tests
• Diet & Weight Loss: Home Testing:
  • Home Weight Testing
  • Home Body Fat Testing (BMI)
  • Home Body Fat Monitoring
  • Home Fitness Testing
• Diabetes: Related Home Testing:
  • Home Diabetes Tests
  • Home Blood Glucose Tests
  • Home Urine Glucose Tests
  • Home Urine Ketone Tests
  • Home Diabetes HbA1c Tests
  • Home Microalbumin Tests (Kidney)
  • Home Urine Protein Tests (Kidney)
  • Home Kidney Tests
  • Home Eye Tests

Medical Textbooks Online about Gastroparesis

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic Tests for Gastroparesis

• Barium x-ray
• Barium beefsteak meal
• Radioisotope gastric-emptying scan
• Gastric manometry
• Blood tests

See full list of 8 diagnostic tests for Gastroparesis

Wrongly Diagnosed with Gastroparesis?

• Misdiagnosis of Gastroparesis
• Underlying causes of Gastroparesis (possibly wrongly diagnosed)

In-Depth Reports: Diagnosis and Misdiagnosis

Diabetes diagnosis and misdiagnosis (In-Depth Report): Although diabetes diagnosis is well-known to physicians, and a diabetes diagnosis is unlikely to be wholly incorrect, there are still some rare subtypes and less common diagnostic issues to consider. See also misdiagnosis of diabetes and Diabetes Diagnosis Report....read full report »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Gastroparesis

Misdiagnosis and Gastroparesis

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Heart attacks can be undiagnosed: Although the most severe symptoms of heart attack are hard to miss, there are varying degrees of severity. It is altogether too common for people to die from undiagnosed heart attack,...read more »

Heart attacks can be overdiagnosed: Although many people die from heart attacks, there are also many cases where people fear that they have a heart attack, but actually have...read more »

Cluster of diseases with difficult diagnosis issues: There is a well-known list of medical conditions that are all somewhat difficult to diagnose,...read more »

Chronic digestive conditions often misdiagnosed: When diagnosing chronic symptoms of the digestive tract, there are a variety of conditions that may be misdiagnosed. The best known, ...read more »

Intestinal bacteria disorder may be hidden cause: One of the lesser known causes of diarrhea is an imbalance of bacterial in the gut, sometimes...read more »

Antibiotics often causes diarrhea: The use of antibiotics are very likely to cause some level of diarrhea in patients. The reason is that antibiotics kill off not only "bad" bacteria, but can also kill the "good"...read more »

Food poisoning may actually be an infectious disease: Many people who come down with "stomach symptoms" like diarrhea assume that it's "something I ate" (i.e. food poisoning). In fact, it's more...read more »

Mesenteric adenitis misdiagnosed as appendicitis in children: Because appendicitis is one of the more feared conditions for a child with abdominal pain, it can be over-diagnosed (it can, of course,...read more »

Poorly healing leg rashes a classic sign of chronic disease: Recurring leg rashes, or poorly healing leg rashes, are a classic sign of undiagnosed diabetes, particularly of Type 2 diabetes, but also Type 1 diabetes. They can also occur...read more »

Leg cramps at night a classic sign: The symptom of having leg muscle cramps, particularly at night, is a classic sign of undiagnosed diabetes. However, there...read more »

Celiac disease often fails to be diagnosed cause of chronic digestive symptoms: One of the most common chronic digestive conditions is celiac disease, a malabsorption...read more »

Obesity-related conditions undiagnosed in children: A variety of conditions are associated with obesity (see obesity), but these tend to be undiagnosed more often in child patients than in...read more »

Chronic digestive diseases hard to diagnose: There is an inherent difficulty in diagnosing the various types of chronic digestive diseases. Some of the better known possibilities are peptic ulcer,...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Gastroparesis

Causes of Gastroparesis

• Functional gastroparesis
• Type 1 diabetes
• Type 2 diabetes - though gastroparesis is less common than for Type 1 diabetes
• Gallbladder disease
• Pancreatitis

See full list of 19 causes of Gastroparesis

More information about causes of Gastroparesis:

• Medications, drugs, or substances causing Gastroparesis (3 listings)
• Underlying causes of Gastroparesis
• Gastroparesis as a complication caused by other conditions
• Gastroparesis as a symptom

Treatments for Gastroparesis

• Diabetic blood sugar control
• Medications
  • Prokinetics
  • Metoclopramide (Reglan)
  • Erythromycin - although an antibiotic, it also helps digestion

See full list of 12 treatments for Gastroparesis

Videos for Gastroparesis

Patient Surveys for Gastroparesis

• Patient Profile Survey
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• Survey about the symptoms of your Gastroparesis
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Reseach about Gastroparesis

Visit our research pages for current research about Gastroparesis treatments.

Clinical Trials for Gastroparesis

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Gastroparesis include:

• A Comparison of SmartPill Capsule With Scintigraphy for Determining Gastric Residence Time - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Effect of Electroacupuncture in Diabetic Patients With Gastroparesis - This study is not yet open for patient recruitment (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Placebo Controlled Trial of Botulinum Toxin for Gastroparesis - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Botulinum toxin type A
• Safety and Effectiveness of an Investigational Agent (GM-611) in Patients With Diabetic Gastroparesis - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - GM-611
• A Study of IC351 (Tadalafil) for the Treatment of Diabetic Patients With Symptoms of Dyspepsia (Upset Stomach) and Gastroparesis (Delayed Gastric Emptying). - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - IC351,tadalafil

See full list of 10 Clinical Trials for Gastroparesis

Types of Gastroparesis

• Diabetic Gastroparesis - gastroparesis caused by diabetes
• Functional gastroparesis - often diagnosed when no clear cause of gastroparesis is found
• Diabetic Diarrhea

Read more about Types of Gastroparesis

Medical Guidebooks and Ebooks for Gastroparesis

• Icon Health Sourcebook for Gastroparesis

See all guides and ebooks for Gastroparesis

Stories from Users Related to Gastroparesis

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User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Gastroparesis, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Article Excerpts about Gastroparesis

Gastroparesis and Diabetes: NIDDK (Excerpt)

Gastroparesis is a disorder in which the stomach takes too long to empty its contents. Gastroparesis is most often a complication of type 1 diabetes. At least 20 percent of people with type 1 diabetes develop gastroparesis. It also occurs in people with type 2 diabetes, although less often.

Gastroparesis happens when nerves to the stomach are damaged or stop working. The vagus nerve controls the movement of food through the digestive tract. If the vagus nerve is damaged, the muscles of the stomach and intestines do not work normally, and the movement of food is slowed or stopped. (Source: excerpt from Gastroparesis and Diabetes: NIDDK)

Keep your nervous system healthy: NIDDK (Excerpt)

Nerve damage to your stomach is called gastroparesis (Source: excerpt from Keep your nervous system healthy: NIDDK)

Definitions of Gastroparesis:

Chronic delayed gastric emptying. Gastroparesis may be caused by motor dysfunction or paralysis of STOMACH muscles or may be associated with other systemic diseases such as DIABETES MELLITUS. - (Source - Diseases Database)