Gastric power disorders of dyspepsia

  Many people in daily life experience postprandial fullness, early satiety, epigastric discomfort, nausea and vomiting, which are actually indigestion disorders. The non-definitely disease-specific ones are usually caused by gastric dysfunction. Gastric motility disorders are neuromuscular electrical and contractile malfunctions, such as gastric rhythm disorders and sinus hypokinesis. This disturbance of power function should be expected in patients with dyspeptic symptoms, especially those with normal endoscopy and ultrasound of the gallbladder and pancreas.  Among them, gastroparesis is the most severe type of gastric neuromuscular dysfunction associated with dyspepsia. The differential diagnosis of gastroparesis includes: mechanical obstruction, post-gastric surgery, endocrine abnormalities such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, or adrenal insufficiency, medications, chronic idiopathic gastroparesis, central nervous system abnormalities, and anorexia nervosa and hyperphagia. Gastric rhythm disorders are often, but not always, associated with symptoms of gastroparesis and nausea.  We generally focus on pharmacological, non-pharmacological and dietary approaches to treatment. The goal of dietary therapy is to avoid dehydration and to maintain or increase caloric intake and body weight. Dietary therapy consists of 6 small meals, liquid nutrients not solids, starches rather than poultry or vegetables, and avoidance of fatty and fibrous foods.  A jejunostomy tube may be performed to provide enteral nutrition, and an open gastrostomy may help reduce the frequency of vomiting. Excessive nutritional intake should be avoided whenever possible. Treatment of gastric neuromuscular (motility) disorders, including gastroparesis, revolves around pharmacologic, nonpharmacologic, and dietary approaches. The concept of “prokinetic” drugs was developed from the use of accelerated gastric emptying to treat gastroparesis or delayed gastric emptying.  Alternative benzamides include gastrodiazepines, cisapride, and morpholine. These drugs are commonly used to accelerate gastric emptying, and while gastrofacial and cisapride are more effective than morpholine, morpholine is particularly effective in relieving symptoms in diabetic patients with or without gastroparesis. Gastric rhythm disturbances are associated with gastroparesis, but the incidence varies with the population studied. Prokinetics also have a role in eliminating rhythm disturbances and improving symptoms.  Erythromycin, a macrolide antibiotic that potently stimulates sinus contraction in healthy individuals, improves gastric emptying in patients with diabetic gastroparesis, but the high incidence of side effects limits its use. Non-pharmacological treatments include acupuncture and gastric pacing therapy to improve symptoms and accelerate gastric emptying.  In clinical treatment, we have found that the addition of psychotherapy and antidepressant medication often yields unexpected results!