Effect of physiological gastric distention on nausea, stomach fullness and gastric myoelectrical activity in patients with functional dyspepsia

Abstract

EFFBCIOF PHYSIOLUGICAL GASTRIC DISTBNTION ON NAUSEA, STOMACH FULLNESS AND GASTRIC MYOELECI-RICAL ACTIVITY IN PATIENTS WITH FUNCI’IONAL DYSPEPSIA. I&&&, S Bingaman, M Medina, L Xu, RM Stem. Depart. of Medicine and Psychology, The Hershey Medical Center, Penn State University, Hershey, PA. 17033. Patients with functional dyspepsia frequently complain of postprandial nausea an& stomach fullness. The pathophysiology of functional dyspepsia remains poorly understood. Aims: 1) To record gastric myoelectrical activity and ratings of stomach fullness before and after a water load in patients with functional dyspepsia and 2) To compare the results with data from healthy control subjects. Methods: Gastric myoelectrical activity was recorded with cutaneous electrodes to obtain electrogastrograms(EGGs); and ratings of stomach fullness and nausea were scored on 300 mm visual analog scales before and 1420 and 30 min. after each subject ingested water until they felt their stomach was “full.” 5 women with dyspepsia and normal evaluations including normal gastric emptying tests were compared with 10 healthy women. Results: Dyspepsia pts ingested 267 ml while controls ingested 6% ml of water (P<O.O02). Controls had no nausea while pts’ nausea ranged from 74-97 before and after water loads (PcO.02). Perceptions of stomach fullness differed significantly at baseline (126 in pts vs 27 in controls, P< O.Ol), but not after ingestion of water. At baseline pts had significantly less 3 cpm EGG activity than controls (25% vs 42%, PcO.03) and more tachygastria (21% vs 12%, P<O.@2). After water ingestion pts had less 3 cpm activity (22% vs 47%, PcO.01) and more l-2 cpm activity (59% vs 36%, P c 0.02) compared with controls. Conclusion: Altered gastric myoelectrical activity before and after physiological gastric distention may account for perceptions of nausea and increased stomach fullness in patients with functional dyspepsia.