NORTH DAKOTA ( KXNET ) — One in four people suffer from gastroparesis in the United States.

The nation’s leading gastroenterology practice, GI Alliance , wants to bring more awareness to the chronic digestive disorder during August.

Gastroparesis is a delayed gastric emptying that impairs the stomach’s ability to move food to the small intestine resulting in chronic nausea, vomiting, bloating, abdominal pain, and a feeling of fullness after eating a small amount of food.

Through raising awareness, GI Alliance wants to improve understanding, early diagnosis, and management of the condition.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) stresses that while the cause is unknown, it’s commonly linked to diabetes, infections, certain medications, and surgeries that affect the stomach.

The common symptoms include consistently feeling bloated, feeling full quickly, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, regurgitating undigested food, constipation, blood sugar issues, loss of appetite, acid reflux, and heartburn.

Recent reports have been able to connect the use of Ozempic to an increased risk of developing gastroparesis.

Ozempic is a medication that’s used primarily to manage type 2 diabetes but is more recently being used for weight loss. However, some patients have been experiencing symptoms consistent with gastroparesis.

There are three types of gastroparesis: diabetes-related, post-surgical, and idiopathic (when it occurs without an identifiable reason).

“I would add there is a fourth type of gastroparesis — medication-induced; this can be from GLP-1 or narcotic-based medications,” said Dr. Ronald Kotfila from GI Associates & Endoscopy Center . “Treatment for gastroparesis is available and can be very effective; it includes medications and surgical options such as an implanted electronic stimulator for the stomach.”

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