Contents:
- Medical Video: Gastroparesis & Diabetes
- Why do I have complications of diabetes mellitus?
- What are the signs and symptoms of gastroparesis?
- How can gastroparesis affect my body?
- Who are susceptible to complications from diabetes mellitus?
- What can I do to treat gastroparesis?
Medical Video: Gastroparesis & Diabetes
Complications of diabetes mellitus can cause gastroparesis (also called delayed gastric emptying). Gastroparesis is a progressive disorder that causes food to stay in the stomach longer than usual. This condition is caused by sthe nerves that move food through the digestive tract are damaged, the muscles do not work as they should. As a result, food stays in the stomach and is not digested.
Why do I have complications of diabetes mellitus?
People who have gastroparesis have damage along their vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is a long cranial nerve that extends from the brain to the abdominal organs, including organs in the digestive tract. Just like diabetic neuropathy, damage to the vagus nerve interferes with nerve function, including nerves in the digestive system. Because the digestive nerve is disrupted, the impulse needed to deliver food works slowly or stops altogether.
Gastroparesis is difficult to diagnose and often goes undetected in patients. Therefore the prevalence of gastroparesis in people with diabetes ranges widely, ie between 5-65 percent.
Gastroparesis is more common in those who have been diagnosed with high blood sugar for years. High blood sugar levels in the long run cause chemical changes in blood to nerves throughout the body. This condition can eventually damage the vessels that supply the body's nerves with nutrients and oxygen, including the vagus nerve which eventually leads to gastroparesis.
Because gastroparesis is a progressive disease and some symptoms such as chronic heartburn or nausea appear to be common, you may not realize that you have the disorder.
What are the signs and symptoms of gastroparesis?
Some of the signs and symptoms of gastroparesis are:
- Heartburn
- Nausea
- Vomiting undigested food
- Fast full even though only consume food in very small portions
- Drastic weight loss
- Bloated
- Loss of appetite
- Blood glucose levels that are difficult to stabilize
- Abdominal cramps
- Up stomach acid
Symptoms of gastroparesis may be mild or severe, depending on damage to the vagus nerve. Symptoms can also be more clearly seen after eating high-fiber or high-fat foods, which are usually slow to digest.
How can gastroparesis affect my body?
When food is not digested normally, the food will settle in the entire stomach. This condition triggers the formation of bacteria due to fermentation. Undigested food can also form a dense mass called bezoar which may cause nausea, vomiting, and possibly small bowel obstruction.
Gastroparesis causes diabetics to experience severe problems, because delays in digestion make blood glucose more difficult to control. Because this disease makes digestion difficult, glucose readings for diabetics with gastroparesis are often too high or too low. Therefore, the blood sugar levels of diabetics with this disease are more difficult to control. If you have erratic glucose readings, immediately consult your doctor.
Gastroparesis is a chronic condition and has a disorder that can make us feel very uncomfortable. The process of changing diet and controlling blood sugar levels when feeling sick and nauseous, is very tiring. People with gastroparesis often feel frustrated and depressed.
Who are susceptible to complications from diabetes mellitus?
Women with diabetes who are overweight have a higher risk of experiencing gastroparesis. Other conditions that can increase the risk include previous abdominal surgery and / or a history of eating disorders.
Diseases and conditions other than diabetes can also cause gastroparesis, such as viral infections, drugs that slow digestion, reflux acid disease, and smooth muscle disorders. Other diseases that can cause symptoms of gastroparesis include Parkinson's disease, chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, kidney disease, and turner syndrome. Sometimes gastroparesis does not have a known cause, even after thorough testing.
What can I do to treat gastroparesis?
If you have gastroparesis due to complications of diabetes mellitus, you should avoid eating raw foods, broccoli, oranges, milk-rich products (cheese, kefir, ice cream, and yogurt) as well as carbonated drinks. Doctors also recommend eating snacks and softer foods. In addition it is important for you to keep yourself hydrated, especially if vomiting is a symptom.
There is no treatment to cure gastroparesis. Even so, gastroparesis is a chronic condition that can be controlled by applying a healthy diet, taking medication, and diligently checking blood glucose, including adequate insulin if your diabetes is type 2. In serious cases, your doctor can help you switch to a liquid diet , which is in the form of porridge.
Electrical stimulation of the stomach is another treatment, which is possible for severe cases of gastroparesis, where an implant device is placed in the stomach and provides electrical pulses to the nerves and smooth muscles of the lower abdomen. This can reduce nausea and vomiting in patients with gastroparesis.
In the most severe cases, long-term gastroparesis sufferers can use liquid food and food hoses for nutritional intake.
