Prevalence of symptoms suggestive of gastroparesis in a cohort of patients with diabetes mellitus

Aims To estimate the prevalence of symptoms suggestive of gastroparesis and their association to clinical and demographic data in a large population of patients with diabetes mellitus and in the general population in Israel. Methods A cross-sectional survey of type 2 diabetic patients treated in community settings was performed. All patients and controls completed a demographic questionnaire as well as the Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index (GCSI). Data regarding disease duration, medications, complications, recent blood glucose and HbA1C levels, were also collected. Results A total of 382 patients and 88 healthy volunteers were included. Patients and controls were aged 63.07 ± 10.63 and 58.69 ± 10.73 years respectively with a BMI of 30.45 ± 8.15 and 25.64 ± 4.25 kg/m² respectively. Compared to controls, more patients with diabetes complained of nausea (24.8% vs. 4.5%, p < 0.0001), post-prandial fullness (44.6% vs. 26.1%, p = 0.001), bloating (48.8% vs. 36.4%, p = 0.035) and stomach or belly visibly larger after a meal (53% vs. 29.5%, p < 0.0001). In multivariate analysis, symptoms were associated with female sex, BMI, blood glucose, HbA1C, metformin treatment and disease duration. Conclusions The prevalence of symptoms suggestive of gastroparesis among patients with diabetes mellitus in Israel is high and is independently associated with female sex and metformin therapy.