Gastrointestinal dysmotility is a group of medical conditions that cause the following problems: peristalsis (contraction of muscles that move food through the digestive tract). When this happens, you may experience a variety of symptoms depending on which part of your digestive tract is affected. These include heartburn, reflux, choking, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation.
Gastrointestinal motility can be impaired by:
- Problems with the muscles that control peristalsis
- Problems with the nerves or hormones that control muscle contraction
There are many conditions that can cause one or both of these problems.
This article explains why people experience peristalsis problems and describes the various medical conditions that are classified as gastrointestinal motility disorders. We will also discuss various treatments and lifestyle changes that can help reduce your symptoms.
What is gastric motility?
During normal digestion, food moves through the digestive tract by rhythmic contractions called peristalsis. This process is called gastrointestinal motility (when part of the digestive tract is involved) or gastric motility (when the stomach is involved).
When you swallow food, it moves down. esophagus (Feeding tube) By peristalsis. Muscles in the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine then continue the process, keeping the food moving while the digestive fluids (stomach acid, enzymes, bile, etc.) break it down. At the end of the journey, the digested food is excreted through the anus as feces.
If you have a movement disorder, this process may occur faster or slower than normal. Disruption of the normal digestive process can cause mild or severe symptoms.
Symptoms of peristaltic problems
Gastrointestinal dysmotility can cause a wide range of symptoms, depending on the nature and location of the dysmotility, including:
- difficulty swallowing
- suffocation
- heartburn
- burp
- acid reflux
- backflow
- early feeling of fullness
- stomach pain
- nausea
- vomiting
- gas
- bloating
- abdominal cramps
- diarrhea
- constipation
Types of movement disorders
Here are six common and rare symptoms associated with gastrointestinal motility dysfunction.
gastroparesis
gastroparesisAlso known as delayed gastric emptying, it occurs when the stomach is slow to empty.
The abdominal muscles control the passage of partially digested food into the small intestine. Damage to the nerves that control the stomach muscles causes food to move more slowly, causing symptoms such as nausea, belching, bloating, heartburn, indigestion, regurgitation, and vomiting.
achalasia
achalasia This is a malfunction of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), a ring of muscles at the bottom of the esophagus that food passes through as it enters the stomach. If a person has achalasia, he is unable to relax his LES when swallowing, making it difficult for food to move within the esophagus.
Symptoms include chest pain, regurgitation, heartburn, and difficulty swallowing.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic disease of the gastrointestinal tract that occurs when the LES does not close properly. This causes stomach acid to back up into the esophagus, causing heartburn, chest pain, nausea, and a sour taste in the mouth.
Acid reflux and heartburn that occur more than once a week may indicate gastroesophageal reflux disease. In some cases, symptoms can be severe enough to resemble a heart attack.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional digestive disorder. That is, it affects the work of the digestive system, but does not damage the digestive system itself.
If you have IBS, your digestive motility moves too quickly or too slowly, causing IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D), IBS with constipation (IBS-C), or IBS with mixed symptoms (IBD-M). Other symptoms include stomach pain, rectal pain, cramps, nausea, bloating, and gas.
Hirschsprung disease
Hirschsprung’s disease is a congenital disease in which the large intestine becomes obstructed due to impaired peristalsis. The condition is most common in young boys and is often seen with other congenital conditions such as Down syndrome.
Chronic intestinal pseudoobstruction
Chronic intestinal pseudoobstruction (CIPO) is a rare disease that causes symptoms similar to intestinal obstruction. But with CIPO, there are no obstacles of any kind. Essentially, peristalsis simply stops.
CIPO is caused by nerve problems that prevent the movement of food, fluids, and air through the large intestine (intestines), as well as the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and rectum.
What causes peristalsis problems?
Often gastric dysmotility is idiopathic, means the cause is unknown. However, there are several risk factors associated with peristalsis problems in adults and children.
basic conditions
Stomach motility problems are closely associated with diseases that damage nerves or impair the production of hormones involved in peristalsis, such as:
- Diabetes: It is estimated that 20% to 50% of people with diabetes have gastroparesis. High blood sugar levels can gradually damage the nerves that regulate normal peristalsis.
- scleroderma: Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease that causes stiffness of tissues, including the digestive system. CIPO and GERD are common in people with scleroderma.
- neurological disorder: Neurologically related conditions that can affect gastric motility include stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.
- hypothyroidism: Studies have found that hypothyroidism (low thyroid function) is closely associated with decreased gastric motility.
genetics
Genes are thought to be involved in certain gastric motility disorders such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, Hirschsprung disease, and CIP. Autoimmune diseases associated with motor dysfunction may also be hereditary.
medicine
Opioid pain medications, such as hydrocodone and oxycodone, can slow stomach motility and cause constipation. It is believed that 81% of people taking opioids experience constipation.
How is gastric dysmotility treated?
Different gastric motility disorders require different treatments. Treatment options range from dietary and lifestyle changes to medications and surgery.
Lifestyle
Maintaining a healthy diet and making small changes to your eating habits can help manage various gastric motility disorders. This includes eating smaller meals throughout the day to avoid overstraining your digestive tract and eating softer foods such as:
- Ground meat, chicken, or seafood
- well-cooked fruits and vegetables
- soft pasta and rice
- low fat dairy products
Regular aerobic exercise is thought to improve gastrointestinal motility in some people. It is commonly recommended to help treat and prevent constipation associated with IBS-C.
Quitting smoking can also help quit smoking because it reduces systemic inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, which can make the stomach and intestines more sensitive to food triggers.
medicine
Drugs commonly used to treat gastric motility disorders include:
- antacids: Contains Rolaid and Tam used for gastroesophageal reflux disease
- antiemetic: Used to treat nausea associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease, achalasia, and gastroparesis.
- antidiarrheal: Contains Imodium (loperamide) and Viverge (eluxadrine), which are used to treat diarrhea associated with IBS-D.
- botulinum toxin injection: Also called Botox, it is used to treat achalasia and gastroparesis.
- calcium channel blocker: Used to treat achalasia.
- H2 blocker: Used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease, such as Pepcid AC (famotidine) and Zantac (ranitidine).
- Laxatives and stool softeners: Used to treat constipation associated with IBS-C.
- prokinetic drug: Contains Linzess (linaclotide) and Reglan (metoclopramide) used to treat gastroparesis and IBS-C
- Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs): Used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease and gastroparesis, such as Nexium (esomeprazole) and Prilosec (omeprazole).
surgery
If your symptoms do not improve with conservative treatment, your gastroenterologist may recommend symptomatic surgery.
Options include:
- Nissen fundoplication: This surgery is used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease and tightens the LES to prevent acid reflux.
- Heller myotomy: This surgery is used to treat achalasia and involves making an incision in the lower and upper esophageal sphincters to relieve chronic dysphagia.
- pyloroplasty: This surgery is used to treat gastroparesis and widens the valve that separates the stomach and small intestine, called the pyloric valve. This allows the stomach to empty faster.