Background: Gastroparesis is a chronic illness characterized by delayed emptying of the stomach without any mechanical obstruction and therefore presents with conditions such as bloating, early satiety, and abdominal pain, among others. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia population, it is a major risk factor because, through review, one can find very limited data on the prevalence and severity of the atrophic gastritis condition among diabetes populations in the region.
Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the magnitude and severity of symptoms of gastroparesis in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients in Saudi Arabia, for information-based decision-making in health practices and policy.
Methods: The design of the study, in the present research, is descriptive, cross-sectional, and non-intervening. Information is directly collected for this study from the 119 diabetic patients, both type 1 and type 2, directly by having interviews and telephone surveys during 2023-2024. Patients belong to the age group of 18-69 years; patient participation in the study is voluntary. The Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index is used for scoring the prevalence followed by the symptoms. Descriptive and inferential statistics with the chi-square test and logistic regression models were used to analyze data.
Results: In this study, 68.4% were type 2 and 63.4% were type 1 diabetic patients and more than half of those with type 2 diabetes were in the age range of 50 to 59 years, while the ages of type 1 diabetic patients were evenly distributed. Key findings from this study are: There was a rate of 22.0% for the occurrence of moderate nausea in type 1 and 29.1% in type 2. Vomiting was infrequent in Type 2 (49.4%) compared to Type 1 (31%). Symptom severity: A significant statistical difference was judged by the feeling of stomach fullness (p = 0.038), with more occurrences among the type 2 DM patients. On univariate analysis, symptoms were more severe in younger patients (< 60 years). There were clear socio-economic disparities; non-Saudi nationals and those of a lower educational and income status reported much more severe symptomatology.
Conclusion: This sign- and symptom-based substantiated research was done in Saudi Arabia to identify whether gastroparesis prevalence and severity differ in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients. More patients suffering were young and had type 2 diabetes and low socio-economic status. Such findings would surely accentuate the need and call for indispensable, targeted interventions from more longitudinal studies, for a better approach and understanding of diabetic gastroparesis.
Keywords: diabetes; gastroparesis; saudi arabia; type 1 diabetes mellitus (t1d); type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Copyright © 2024, Yaghmour et al.