Long-term cisapride treatment improves diabetic gastroparesis but not glycaemic control

Background: In patients with diabetic gastroparesis, delayed food delivery to the intestine may become a major obstacle to post-prandial glycaemic control. Aim: To investigate whether cisapride accelerates gastric emptying in the long term or improves diabetes control in patients with diabetic gastroparesis. Methods: Eighty-five patients with long-standing insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) > 7.0%), dyspepsia and diabetic neuropathy were tested for impaired gastric emptying of solids by the C-13-octanoate breath test. Nineteen of these patients with severe diabetic gastroparesis (i.e. t (1/2) > 170 min) were randomly treated with 10 mg cisapride t.d.s. (n =9) or placebo (n =10) for 12 months. Thereafter, the breath test, dyspeptic symptoms and HbA1c values were reassessed. Results: Half emptying times in nine patients with diabetic gastroparesis were significantly shortened by cisapride (175 +/- 46 min vs. 227 +/- 40 min; P < 0.03). Half emptying times in the 10 patients taking placebo did not change (205 +/- 37 min vs. 211 +/- 36 min, P=0.54). Cisapride significantly reduced dyspepsia (score: 4.1 +/- 1.6 vs. 2.0 +/- 0.5, P =0.002). HbA1c values after 12 months of treatment were not different (cisapride: 7.7 +/- 0.4% vs. 7.6 +/- 0.9%, P=0.76; placebo: 7.5 +/- 0.6% vs. 7.6 +/- 1.5%, P=0.89). Conclusions: Prokinetic treatment with cisapride accelerates gastric emptying of solids and improves dyspeptic symptoms in diabetic gastroparesis. Glycaemic control, however, is not affected by cisapride.