Gastric myoelectrical activity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Aim: Inflammatory bowel disease is characterized by the presence of gastrointestinal motility disturbances; however alterations in the gastric myoelectrical activity have not been characterized. In this study we have recorded the gastric myoelectrical activity in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) during their clinical remission.

Materials and methods: Gastric activity was assessed using electrogastrography (EGG) in patients with UC (n = 60), CD (n = 40) and healthy controls (n = 40). In each case, their response to water load test, as well as the dominant frequency (DF), dominant power (DP) and the power ratio (PR) of the electrical activity were recorded.

Results: In healthy controls, the resting DF was 2.57 ± 1.05 cycles per minute (cpm), which decreased after water ingestion (2.34 ± 0.99 cpm; P = 0.001). Compared to healthy controls, patients with UC had low resting DF (bradygastria) (2.57 ± 1.05 vs. 1.86 ± 1.28 cpm; P = 0.01). The change in DF after water ingestion was insignificant in patients with UC and CD. Post-water ingestion, healthy controls exhibited an increase in the DP as compared to the resting state, (7.1 [2.93, 102.56] vs. 15.94 [3.92, 133.41] μV (2); P = 0.02). Patients with UC (1.26 [0.14, 9.83] vs. 3.27 [0.61, 42.12] μV(2)) and CD (2.54 [0.44, 47.06] vs. 15.8 [0.1, 126.68] μV(2)) also showed a significant increase in the DP post-water ingestion.

Conclusions: Patients with ulcerative colitis have altered resting gastric myoelectrical activity during the remission phase of the disease.