Dear Dr. Donohue • my 52-year-old daughter, who has been healthyall her life, now has gastroparesis. Can you give me someinformation on this disease? is it curable? — M.M.
Answer • normally the stomach takes two to four hours to empty.Liquids pass through it even more quickly. The stomach has to grindsolid foods to reduce them to small pieces and to soften them sotheir nutrients and calories can be absorbed. Gastroparesis is asluggish stomach. “Paresis” means “partial paralysis.” Foods takeforever to leave a stomach stricken with gastroparesis. Diabetes,Parkinson’s disease, scleroderma, thyroid troubles and many otherconditions are causes of it. For a large number of sufferers, acause can’t be found. it just happens.
Nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting and a feeling of fullness afteronly a few bites of food are some of the consequences ofgastroparesis.
After an overnight fast, a scope examination of the stomachshows it still to be full of food. Scans can help make thediagnosis. The patient eats food that includes a safe radioactivematerial. Serial scans show the radioactive material stays in thestomach for an inordinate amount of time.
“Curable” is too strong a word for this condition. Treatableisn’t. If an underlying illness is found as the cause, treatment ofthat illness usually treats gastroparesis. When no illness isresponsible for it, ways to increase the transit of food throughthe stomach are possible. one is to increase the amount of fluidstaken with meals. Decreasing the fat and fiber content of meals isanother way to speed the passage of food. Frequent, small meals areanother strategy that’s helpful. Metoclopramide (Reglan) often canease symptoms.
Your daughter ought to take vitamins. People with gastroparesiscan develop vitamin deficiencies.
To Readers • Women will find answers to their questions onfibroids in my booklet. To order a copy, write: Dr. Donohue — no.1106, Box 536475, Orlando, Fla. 32853-6475. Enclose a check ormoney order for $4.75 with the recipient’s printed name andaddress.
Dear Dr. Donohue • do you have anything on fatty liver? Mydoctor told me that I have a fatty liver. — M.K.
Answer • Alcohol is one big cause for fat to infiltrate theliver. Fat also can be found in the livers of people who nevertouch a drop of alcohol. That condition is nonalcoholic fatty liverdisease, NAFLD, and it’s quite common. NAFLD can progress to NASH,nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, a serious condition. It’s aninflammation of liver cells and can result in liver cell death. Thedead cells lead to liver cirrhosis.
Many NAFLD people are overweight. If these people lose weight,their livers lose their fat. ??
Write Dr. Donohue at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL32853-6475.