Clinical Manifestation and Natural History of Gastroparesis

Abstract

Although gastroparesis was described more than 60 years ago, the natural history and the long-term outcome are still being clarified. The patients with more severe gastroparesis often seek health care treatment in university medical centers specializing in gastrointestinal motility disorders and hence reports in the literature tend to be based on this population and may not be representative of the entire spectrum. The clinical manifestations of gastroparesis are heterogeneous but a significant proportion of patients end up with substantially poorer quality of life. In this article, the focus is on the clinical presentation and natural history of gastroparesis.

Keywords: Delayed gastric emptying; Gastroparesis; Mortality and morbidity; Natural history; Nausea; Prognosis; Quality of life; Vomiting.