Diseases & Conditions

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Gastroparesis

Name: Gastroparesis
Definition:

Gastroparesis is a condition in which the muscles in your stomach don't function normally.

Ordinarily, strong muscular contractions propel food through your digestive tract. But in gastroparesis, the muscles in the wall of your stomach work poorly or not at all, preventing your stomach from emptying properly. This can interfere with digestion, cause nausea and vomiting, and play havoc with blood sugar levels and nutrition.

No available treatment can cure gastroparesis. Dietary changes and certain medications sometimes help control symptoms of gastroparesis, but they're not effective in every case. And the available gastroparesis drugs can cause serious side effects. Researchers are investigating other types of therapies for gastroparesis.

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The most common signs and symptoms of gastroparesis — nausea, vomiting, bloating and a feeling of fullness early in a meal — occur now and then in almost everyone. In the great majority of cases, the cause is a problem other than gastroparesis. If you have an occasional bout of heartburn or nausea, you can probably treat it yourself by changing what or how much you eat or by using over-the-counter medications.

See your doctor if you have persistent digestive problems that don't improve with self-care measures.

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