HYPERGLYCEMIA AFFECTS GASTRIC ELECTRICAL RHYTHM AND NAUSEA DURING INTRADUODENAL TRIGLYCERIDE INFUSION

Hyperglycemia slows gastric emptying and increases the intensity of pe rception of gastric distension during fasting and small intestinal nut rient stimulation, In order to examine the possibility that abnormalit ies of gastric electrical rhythm may be associated with the effects of hyperglycemia, the gastric electrical rhythm (cutaneous electrogastro gram) and the perception rating scores for upper gastrointestinal sens ations (visual analog scale) were examined, Studies were performed dur ing intraduodenal triglyceride infusion in 10 healthy volunteers under euglycemic and hyperglycemic (;approximate to 15 mmol/liter) conditio ns. During fasting, hyperglycemia had no effect on either gastric elec trical rhythm or sensation, Intraduodenal triglyceride infusion was as sociated with an increase in bradygastria (<2.4 cpm) during both eugly cemia (33 +/- 9%) and hyperglycemia (36 +/- 10%: P < 0.05 vs baseline for each). During intraduodenal triglyceride infusion, tachygastria (> 3.6 cpm) was more prevalent during hyperglycemia when compared to eugl ycemia (25 +/- 10% vs 1 +/- 1%, P < 0.05) and the perception rating sc ores for nausea and abdominal discomfort were greater during hyperglyc emia (P < 0.05 for both). The intensity of nausea correlated with the proportion of time spent in tachygastria (r = 0.64, P < 0.01), These d ata are consistent with the concept that postprandial upper gastrointe stinal symptoms in patients with diabetes mellitus may be modulated by the blood glucose concentration.