A new killer of young women – Gastroparesis

March 11, 2020
Health Info

In recent years, more and more girls and women in their 20s have been diagnosed with a mysterious stomach disease called gastroparesis. Although the cause is unknown, the number of cases doubles every year. Patients will feel numb and will feel uncomfortable every time they eat. The most common symptoms are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, feeling full and bloating after eating, so the patient will not want to eat.

During normal stomach motility, nerve signals tell the stomach muscles when to contract. These muscles move food from the stomach to the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine. But in gastroparesis, the nerves or muscles are damaged, causing bowel movements to slow down or stop altogether. Food cannot move properly from the stomach as a result. This delay in emptying may cause symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, may lead to malnutrition, the formation of bezoars (hard lumps of food) in the stomach, and may lead to other complications.

At present, this disease is relatively unfamiliar to many people, but since 2014, the number of young women with gastroparesis in the United States has increased sharply, and the number of young women who needtreatmentfor gastroparesis has doubled every year. Although the cause of gastroparesis remains undetermined, it may be caused by any of the following:

Diabetes
Treatments involving any digestive organs such as the stomach and internal organs
Certain medications, such as strong pain relievers (narcotics)
Certain conditions such as systemic scleroderma, Parkinson’s disease, and thyroid disease

How is gastroparesis diagnosed?

Gastroscopy (OGD)(Upper endoscopy) is used to examine the inside of the stomach and duodenum. The examination requires the use of anendoscope, which uses a flexible tube-like telescope with a small camera at the end. Insert it from the mouth into the esophagus and into the tail and duodenum to examine the digestive tract, esophagus, stomach and duodenum (the first section of the small intestine).

Upper gastrointestinal GI examination (Upper gastrointestinal GI) is a special X-ray examination. After taking soda ash orally, drinking barium, and then taking X-ray photography, the lumen of the esophagus, stomach, duodenum and small intestine can be clearly visualized, so that the peristalsis of the digestive tract can be observed.

A gastric emptying scan is a nuclear medicine test that measures how quickly food leaves the stomach. The test involves eating food containing a harmless radioactive substance (a tracer) and then having a stomach scan. The tracer will show clearly on the scan and show the movement of food in the stomach.

The above information is for reference only. Consult your doctor if you have any doubt.

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