GASTROINTESTINAL MOTILITY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH WELL-CONTROLLED TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS.

Abstract

Gastrointestinal (GI) motility disorders in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are common. However, the endpoints in well-controlled T2DM in elderly patients are barely understood. To evaluate GI transit and gastric myoelectric activity in elderly patients with T2DM who were undergoing treatment with metformin and to compare them with non-diabetic healthy controls. A total of thirty participants were enrolled in this study: young non-diabetic (n=10), elderly non-diabetic controls (n=10), and patients with T2DM managed with metformin (n=10). After fasting overnight, the participants ingested a standard meal and magnetic markers for non-invasive monitoring of GI transit and gastric contractility using the alternating current biosusceptometry and electrogastrography techniques. Mean gastric emptying time, mean colon arrival time, and mean intestinal transit time were determined. There were no significant differences between the groups and in the parameters evaluated (P>0.05). The frequency and amplitude of gastric myoelectric activity were not different between groups; however, abnormal rhythmic index and the half-bandwidth were slightly higher for both elderly diabetic and non-diabetic groups compared with the young adults (P<0.01 and P<0.05, respectively). Our study showed unaltered gastric emptying and intestinal transit in T2DM patients with good glycemic control, and suggest changes in the gastric electrical activity can be a part of aging.