Gastrointestinal-Specific symptom anxiety in patients with gastroparesis: Relationships to symptom severity and quality of life.

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal (GI)-specific anxiety has been identified as a treatment target in irritable bowel syndrome. However, GI-specific anxiety has been understudied in other GI functional/motility disorders. Among adults with gastroparesis, we aimed to: (1) initially validate a measure of GI-specific anxiety, the Visceral Sensitivity Index (VSI); and (2) evaluate the relationship between GI-specific anxiety and gastroparesis symptom severity and quality of life, compared to measures of anxiety, depression, and somatization. METHODS: Consecutive adult patients (N = 100) with gastroparesis presenting for initial consultation completed a series of self-report measures including the VSI. We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis of the VSI one-factor structure and tested internal consistency and convergent validity. We then performed hierarchical linear regression analyses to explore associations between VSI and gastroparesis symptom severity and overall quality of life. KEY RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the original VSI one-factor structure overall fit well [χ2 (90) = 220.1, p < 0.0001; SRMR = 0.08; RMSEA = 0.12; CFI = 0.96]. The VSI also had excellent internal consistency (α = 0.99) and convergent validity (r = 0.29-0.56; all p < 0.01). Higher GI-specific anxiety was significantly associated with greater gastroparesis symptom severity, including nausea/vomiting, fullness/satiety, and upper abdominal pain scores beyond depression, anxiety, or somatization (all p = <0.01-0.01). Additionally, higher GI-specific anxiety was significantly associated with lower mental health-related quality of life, beyond gastroparesis symptom severity, depression, anxiety, or somatization (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: The VSI is an adequate measure of GI-specific anxiety in patients with gastroparesis. Higher GI-specific anxiety was associated with increased patient-reported gastroparesis symptom severity and decreased quality of life, beyond depression/anxiety.

Trends in Gastroparesis Management: A United States Population-based Study From 2010 to 2020.

BACKGROUND: There is little consensus on the medical management of gastroparesis, a disorder characterized by delayed gastric emptying with symptoms of early satiety, nausea, vomiting, and upper abdominal pain. GOALS: We utilized population-level data to: (1) describe the prevalence of different pharmacological and nonpharmacological therapies in patients with gastroparesis; and (2) trend the prevalence of these therapies from 2010 to 2020. STUDY: More than 59 million unique medical records across 26 US-based major health care systems were surveyed using the Explorys platform to identify a cohort of adults with gastroparesis who completed both a gastric emptying study and upper endoscopy or upper gastrointestinal tract imaging. Prevalence of antiemetic, prokinetic, neuromodulator prescriptions, and surgical therapies for gastroparesis were searched within this cohort and trended annually from 2010 to 2020. RESULTS: Antiemetics (72% of patients), prokinetics (47%), and neuromodulators (75% of patients, 44% of patients without a concomitant psychiatric or diabetic peripheral neuropathy diagnosis) were all commonly used in the treatment of patients with gastroparesis. From 2010 to 2020, there was an increase in the prevalence of antiemetic and neuromodulator prescriptions (36.4% to 57.6%, P <0.001 and 47.0% to 66.9%, P <0.001, respectively), whereas the prevalence of prokinetics remained relatively constant (31.8% to 31.6%, P =0.52). Procedural and surgical treatments were used in 5% of gastroparesis patients. CONCLUSIONS: Treatments for gastroparesis have changed over the last decade: antiemetic and neuromodulator use has increased whereas prokinetic use has remained constant. This practice pattern may reflect the growing number and availability of antiemetics and neuromodulators and the small number and known side effects of prokinetics.