Causes, Symptoms and Risk Factors of Gastroparesis

Causes. There are many causes of gastroparesis, but most cases are idiopathic, or have an unknown cause. Other causes are surgeries or injuries that damage the vagus nerve, which controls the contractions of the GI tract, diabetes, kidney or liver failure, eating disorders, medications, transplants and some autoimmune diseases. Some patients suffered from a viral type of gastroenteritis before they came down with gastroparesis. Others have problems with the part of their nervous system that controls their intestines. Doctors believe that the reason so many more women suffer from gastroparesis than men is because they have an autoimmune problem that affects their enteric nervous system. Autoimmune disorders are more common in women than men.