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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
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. This prevents your stomach from emptying properly. Gastroparesis can interfere with digestion, cause nausea and vomiting, and cause problems with blood sugar levels and nutrition.
There is no cure for gastroparesis. Making changes to your diet may help you cope with gastroparesis signs and symptoms, but that's not always enough. Gastroparesis medications may offer some relief, but some can cause serious side effects.
- Gastroparesis. National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gastroparesis/index.aspx. Accessed Oct. 17, 2011.
- Fox J, et al. Gastroparesis. American College of Gastroenterology. http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/gihealth/gastroparesis.asp. Accessed Oct. 17, 2011.
- Tang DM, et al. Gastroparesis: Approach, diagnostic evaluation and management. Disease-a-Month. 2011:57:74.
- Nutrition therapy for gastroparesis. Nutrition Care Manual. American Dietetic Association. http://nutritioncaremanual.org/index.cfm. Accessed Oct. 25, 2011.
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