According to a cross-sectional study, peripheral neuropathy (PN) is prevalent in people with symptoms of gastroparesis, not only in diabetic people, but also in people with symptoms of idiopathic gastroparesis, a specific group in which those with PN present with more severe gastrointestinal symptoms than patients without peripheral neuropathy (nPN).

Victoria J. Moors et al. aimed to assess if subjects with gastroparesis symptoms and PN differ in symptoms and gastric emptying, both psychosocial and gastrointestinal, from nPN subjects, compare this connection to that in other etiological groups, and explore the occurrence of PN in idiopathic gastroparesis. A total of 250 subjects with gastroparesis symptoms and scheduled to undergo gastric emptying scintigraphy were included.

The recruited volunteers completed questionnaires that measured presence of peripheral neuropathy via Neuropathy Total Symptom Score-6 (NTSS-6), and their symptoms severity via Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index (GCSI). NTSS-6 > 6 was used to characterize PN, and it was found in 70/250 (28%) patients, of whom 11/32 (34%) were postsurgical, 33/61 (54%) were diabetic, and 22/148 (15%) were idiopathic.

In 148 people with idiopathic gastroparesis, the following gastroparesis symptoms were more severe in PN versus nPN, defined as non-postsurgical, not caused by known disorder like connective tissue or Parkinson's disorder, and non-diabetic: (a) upper abdominal pain (3.64 ± 1.22 vs. 2.71 ± 1.78), (b) abdominal distension (3.86 ± 1.49 vs. 2.45 ± 1.68), and (c) bloating (4.05 ± 1.17 vs. 2.99 ± 1.61).

Overall, 99 idiopathic individuals underwent scintigraphy; PN was seen in 7/43 (16%) of those with delayed gastric emptying and 9/56 (16%) of those with normal gastric emptying. In individuals with idiopathic gastroparesis, abdominal distension was more severe in PN than nPN (4.43 ± 0.53 vs. 2.89 ± 1.68). In patients who experienced diabetic or postsurgical gastroparesis symptoms, the link between PN and severe gastrointestinal symptoms was not significant.

In 70/250 (28%) of subjects who had gastroparesis symptoms, PN was present. It was more common in diabetic gastroparesis than idiopathic gastroparesis. Compared to individuals with IG symptoms but no peripheral neuropathy, the cohort of patients with IG and PN had more severe gastroparesis manifestations. A gastroparesis cohort with PN that exhibits higher symptoms may be identified by PN screening.