Rapid gastric emptying of a liquid meal in long-term type 2 diabetes mellitus

Both delayed and accelerated gastric emptying rate (GER) have been reported in patients with diabetes mellitus. Delayed GER has been attributed to aut onomic neuropathy in established diabetes but rapid GER was demonstrated in early Type 2 diabetes. The aim of the study was to investigate rapid gastr ic emptying in a group of people with long-duration Type 2 diabetes. CER of a radiolabelled liquid meal was studied scintigraphically in 20 Type 2 pat ients with a mean (+/- SEM) duration of diabetes 13 (+/-1) years. The 50 % emptying time (t(50)) for the liquid meal was shorter in diabetic patients (29.6 +/- 2.1 min) than in controls (39.2 +/- 1.9 min; p < 0.0005). Acceler ated emptying (t(50) value below the shortest t(50) of controls) was eviden ced in 14/20 patients and delayed emptying (t(50) value exceeding the upper t(50) of controls) in none. Patients with accelerated GER were comparable for BMI, diabetes duration, HbA(1c) and fasting glycaemia to those with nor mal GER. Rapid CER for liquids was found in the presence or absence of auto nomic neuropathy. Seven of the patients with rapid emptying of the liquid m eal were reassessed using a solid meal. Only one patient demonstrated rapid emptying of the solid meal, which was normal in 3 and delayed in 3 patient s. In conclusion, accelerated GER can be found in long-term Type 2 diabetes but there is no concordance between CER of a liquid and a solid meal. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.