Risk Factors. Risk factors for gastroparesis include having diabetes, which might damage some of the nerves that control the GI tract. Other people who have had surgery on their abdomen or esophagus are also at risk, as are people who’ve had a viral infection. Some drugs slow down how fast the stomach empties. Other risk factors for gastroparesis include having scleroderma. This not just an autoimmune disease but a disease of the connective tissue where the skin and other parts of the body become thick and hard. Diseases that damage the nervous system such as multiple sclerosis are also risk factors, as is hypothyroidism. This condition results when the thyroid does not produce enough thyroid hormone, which causes many bodily systems to slow down or not work properly. Another risk factor for gastroparesis is being a woman.
