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Gastroparesis literally means a paralyzed stomach. And it is a functional condition of the stomach in which the stomach is very slow to move. This means that the way the stomach physically moves contents out is abnormally sluggish, but the structure of the stomach actually remains intact. Normally the stomach will empty half its contents within 90 minutes, but a delay in this emptying can mean that contents, once eaten, don’t empty out of the stomach for many hours. There’s no physical blockage of the food leaving. It’s just the muscles of the stomach are very slow and unable to propel the food into the small intestine. Gastroparesis is actually not a very common disorder. About 50 in a hundred thousand people will tend to have this condition. It’s definitely more common in women than men, and often in younger women. While it isn’t common, the symptoms associated with gastroparesis can actually be seen in many other disorders. It’s a condition that is often missed if it is not thought about or recognized.
