Frequency of Gastroparesis Symptoms in Patients With Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Pakistan

Background Gastroparesis symptoms seem to affect many diabetes mellitus patients. Pakistan has a high prevalence of diabetes, with an estimated 33 million people living with the condition. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of gastroparesis symptoms in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted from April to May 2022 in the outpatient Department of Medicine at the University College of Medicine and Dentistry, Lahore, Pakistan. Patients of both genders aged between 18 and 75 years and having T2DM were analysed. Data regarding demographic information, medical history, BMI assessment, and symptoms related to gastroparesis, as measured by the Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptoms Index (GCSI) were collected at the time of enrolment. For gastroparesis, a diagnostic cutoff of ≥1.90 was considered as per GCSI. Results Of a total of 148 T2DM patients, 85 (57.4%) were females. The mean age was calculated to be 54.0±11.3 years, ranging between 23 and 75 years. There were 134 (90.5%) patients who were using metformin. The most common symptom was fullness, reported by 66 (44.6%), while nausea, bloating, early satiety, retching, and vomiting were noted in 61 (41.2%), 59 (39.9%), 55 (37.2%), 39 (26.4%), and 22 (14.9%) patients, respectively. The frequency of gastroparesis was found in 17 (11.5%) T2DM patients. Stratification of gastroparesis revealed a significant association with female gender (82.4% vs. 54.2%, p=0.0272). Conclusion The study found a high frequency of gastroparesis symptoms in patients with T2DM. Nausea and bloating were the most commonly reported symptoms, while vomiting was the least common. The prevalence of gastroparesis was significantly higher in the female gender.