A 45-year-old woman with type 1 diabetes has an early feeling of fullness when eating. She is often nauseous after a meal and vomits about once each week after eating. Glucose-induced damage to which structure is most likely to explain her gastrointestinal problem?
A) Celiac ganglia
B) Enteric nervous system
C) Esophagus
D) Stomach
E) Vagus nerve

The answer is option E. Vagus nerve

Explanation:

The vagus nerve (cranial nerve 10) originates from the medulla of the brainstem and exit the skull via the jugular foramen. It is a major nerve of the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system. In diabetes, (both type 1 or type 2) nerve damage can occur. The vagus nerve is usually affected. One of the function of the vagus nerve is to control movement of food through the stomach. Damage to the vagus nerve as a result of diabetes causes muscles in the stomach and other parts of the digestive tract not to function normally. This slows down the movement of food through the digestive system. The symptoms include early satiety after eaten little, nausea and vomitting, heartburn, loss of appetite etc. This condition is referred to as diabetic gastroparesis.