Clinical predictors of symptom improvement failure in gastroparesis

The aim of this study was to determine clinical predictors of gastroparesis outcomes.

Between September 30, 2009 and January 31, 2020, we identified patients with gastroparesis diagnosed based on a ^99mTc sulfur-labeled gastric emptying test. The patients who had no symptom improvement at 4 and 12 weeks were considered to have failed to show clinical improvement. Logistic regression was used to compute the association between different factors and clinical outcomes.

We identified 320 patients (mean age 47.5±5.3 years, 70.3% female, 71.3% Whites). Failure of clinical improvement was seen in 34.7% patients at 4 weeks and 27.5% at 12 weeks after the gastroparesis diagnosis. At 4 weeks, chronic kidney disease (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.62, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.31-5.26; P=0.007) and body mass index (BMI) <18.5 kg/m² (aOR 9.90, 95%CI 2.98-32.93; P<0.001) were associated with a lack of improvement, whereas type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was associated with better clinical outcomes (aOR 0.50, 95%CI 0.25-0.99; P=0.047). At 12 weeks, subjects who had undergone post-bariatric surgery had no improvement of their gastroparesis symptoms (aOR 2.43, 95%CI 1.01-5.82; P=0.047), whereas T2DM was associated with clinical improvement (aOR 0.46, 95%CI 0.22-0.95; P=0.035). The subgroup analysis showed that BMI <18.5 kg/m² in non-diabetics and peripheral neuropathy in diabetics were associated with persistent symptoms.

Gastroparesis patients with T2DM had significant symptom improvement. A history of bariatric surgery and renal failure were associated with worse clinical improvement. Peripheral neuropathy in diabetics was associated with persistent symptoms.