Prevalence of gastroparesis-related symptoms in an unselected cohort of patients with Type 1 diabetes
Journal of Diabetes and its Complications, 03/30/2012
Kofod–Andersen K et al. – Symptoms of diabetic gastroparesis affect approximately 10% of patients with Type 1 diabetes in a specialized diabetes clinic and are associated with poor glycemic control and other late diabetic complications.
Methods- 1028 patients with Type 1 diabetes attending a specialized diabetes clinic were mailed a validated questionnaire; “patient assessment of upper gastrointestinal disorders-symptom severity index”, in which a subset of questions measures symptoms of gastroparesis (GCSI; Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index).
- Response rate was 74.4% (n=765).
- All patients were classified according to presence or absence of late diabetic complications and clinical and paraclinical data were obtained.
- A GCSI Total Score ≥1.90 signified definite symptoms of gastroparesis (n=102) and patient charts were investigated for concomitant illness and/or medication influencing gastric emptying.
- In 30 patients an alternative etiology was revealed, leaving 72 (9.8%) patients with symptoms related to diabetic gastroparesis.
- Only 8 patients were previously diagnosed.
- HbA1c levels were significantly higher in patients with diabetic gastroparesis (8.4±1.3 vs. 8.2 ±1.2 respectively, p=0.02).
- Furthermore, patients with diabetic gastroparesis had more retinopathy (p=0.006) and peripheral polyneuropathy (16.7% vs. 6.7%, p<0.001) and there was a trend for diabetic nephropathy being more common (p=0.08).
